Library / English Dictionary

PARLOUR

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A room in a private house or establishment where people can sit and talk and relax

Synonyms:

front room; living-room; living room; parlor; parlour; sitting room

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("parlour" is a kind of...):

room (an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "parlour"):

common room (a sitting room (usually at school or university))

morning room (a sitting room used during the daylight hours)

salon (elegant sitting room where guests are received)

Holonyms ("parlour" is a part of...):

abode; domicile; dwelling; dwelling house; habitation; home (housing that someone is living in)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received

Synonyms:

parlor; parlour

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("parlour" is a kind of...):

reception room (a room for receiving and entertaining visitors (as in a private house or hotel))

Credits

 Context examples: 

But before she was half way upstairs she heard the parlour door open, and, turning round, was astonished to see Edward himself come out.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

So saying, the stranger backed along with me into the parlour and put me behind him in the corner so that we were both hidden by the open door.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

“Quite a little parlour game—sort of three-card trick, is it not? There are your three men. It must be one of them. You take your choice. Which is yours?”

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

They were at it in the dining-parlour.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

But neither of these resources was approved of in the parlour.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

He had his shepherd's son into the parlour one night on purpose to sing to her.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

On re-entering the parlour, I found Diana standing at the window, looking very thoughtful.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

They followed her into the dining-parlour.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

Here he is, in the bar parlour.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

This passage is at least as extraordinary a road from the breakfast-parlour to your apartment, as that staircase can be from the stables to mine.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)