purlieu
purlieu definition
pur·lieu (pʉrl′yo̵̅o̅′, pʉr′lo̵̅o̅′)
noun
- Historical an outlying part of a forest, exempted from forest laws and returned to private owners
- a place that one visits often or habitually; haunt
- bounds; limits
- environs
- an outlying part, as of a city
Etymology: altered (infl. by Fr lieu, place) < Anglo-Fr puralee < OFr puralée < puraler, to go through < pur-, por- (< L pro-, for, but used for per-, through) + aler, to go: see alley
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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