purlieu

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: pur=lieu

CIDE DICTIONARY

purlieu, n. [Corrupted (by influence of lieu place) fr. OF. puralée, poralée (equiv. to LL. perambulatio a survey of boundaries, originally, a going through); por (L. pro, confused, however, with L. per through) + alée. See Pro-, and Alley.].

•  Originally, the ground near a royal forest, which, having been unlawfully added to the forest, was afterwards severed from it, and disafforested so as to remit to the former owners their rights.  [1913 Webster]

  "Then as a tiger, who by chance hath spied
  In some purlieu two gentle fawns at play."  [1913 Webster]
•  Hence, the outer portion of any place; an adjacent district; environs; neighborhood.  [1913 Webster]

  "brokers had been incessantly plying for custom in the purlieus of the court."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

purlieu, n. (pl. purlieus)
1 a person's bounds or limits.
2 a person's usual haunts.
3 Brit. hist. a tract on the border of a forest, esp. one earlier included in it and still partly subject to forest laws.
4 (in pl.) the outskirts; an outlying region.

Etymology

ME purlew, prob. alt. after F lieu place f. AF purale(e), OF pourallee a going round to settle the boundaries f. po(u)raler traverse

THESAURUS

purlieu

agora, amphitheater, arena, athletic field, auditorium, background, baths, bear garden, boundary, bounds, bowl, boxing ring, bull ring, campus, canvas, casino, circus, club, clubhouse, cockpit, coliseum, colosseum, compass, confines, course, field, floor, forum, gambling house, gathering place, ground, gym, gymnasium, hall, hangout, haunt, health resort, hippodrome, limits, lists, locale, marketplace, mat, meeting place, milieu, open forum, outskirts, palaestra, parade ground, pit, place, platform, precinct, precincts, prize ring, public square, rallying point, range, rendezvous, resort, ring, scene, scene of action, scenery, setting, site, spa, sphere, springs, squared circle, stadium, stage, stage set, stage setting, stamping ground, suburbs, terrain, theater, tilting ground, tiltyard, walk, watering place, wrestling ring