parlor

Meanings

1. 1nouncountableold-fashioned

   A room in a private house used for receiving guests and everyday social conversation.

   Grammar: Countable; use 'a parlor' or 'the parlor'. Now somewhat old-fashioned for a home room.

   Patterns

   • in the parlor
   • the front parlor

   The guests were shown into the parlor, where tea was already set out.

   In the old house, the front parlor was kept tidy for visitors.

   She liked to read in the parlor on quiet afternoons.

2. 2nouncountable

   A shop or business that provides a particular service, such as beauty treatments or ice cream.

   Grammar: Countable; usually appears in compound names like 'beauty parlor' or 'funeral parlor'.

   Patterns

   • beauty parlor
   • funeral parlor
   • ice-cream parlor

   She went to the beauty parlor to get her hair done.

   The family gathered at the funeral parlor to pay their respects.

   We stopped at an ice-cream parlor for a sundae.

Word forms

Common combinations

beauty parlor

She has an appointment at the beauty parlor this afternoon.

funeral parlor

The funeral parlor was filled with flowers.

ice-cream parlor

The children ran to the ice-cream parlor for a treat.

front parlor

The front parlor was used only for special occasions.

parlor game

Charades is a classic parlor game.

Synonyms and how they differ

living room

The everyday modern term for the main room for sitting and entertaining; 'parlor' sounds old-fashioned for this.

salon

Used for a business offering beauty treatments; more common than 'beauty parlor' today.

lounge

A sitting room, especially in a hotel or club; not usually used for a private home.

Word family

parlormaid noun

A female servant who waited on guests in a parlor; historical.

Commonly confused: parlor or parlour?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “parlor”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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