English Explanatory Dictionary

purlieu

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The ground on the edges of a forest, especially when partly subject to the same forest laws concerning game hunting etc.
  2. The outskirts of any place; an adjacent district; the environs or neighborhood; milieu.

Pronunciation

/ˈpɜːljuː/ /ˈpɝl(j)u/ En-us-ncalif-purlieu.ogg

Word forms

purlieu purlieus purlieux

Etymology

From Middle English purlewe (“piece of land on the edge of a forest”), modification under the influence of Old French lieu (“place”) of porale, purale (“royal perambulation”), from Old French porale, from poraler (“to traverse”), from por- (“forth”) (from Latin prō- + aler, aller (“to go”).

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