parlor
n. countablen. a room in a house for sitting and talking with guests. It is also used for businesses that offer specific services, like a tattoo parlor or an ice cream parlor.
n. a room in a private residence for receiving guests; alternatively, a commercial establishment providing specific services or goods. Often associated with 19th-century domestic life or specific service-oriented businesses.
We sat in the parlor to drink tea.
The old Victorian house featured a formal parlor where the family entertained visitors on Sunday afternoons.
While the domestic parlor has largely been replaced by the modern living room, the term persists in the commercial sector for specialized shops like tattoo studios or funeral homes.
Inherited from Middle English parlour, from Old French parleor, parloir, parleoir, from the verb parler (“to speak”); compare Medieval Latin parlātōrium. Doublet of parloir.
Commonly used in compound nouns for specific businesses, such as 'beauty parlor', 'pizza parlor', or 'funeral parlor'.