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Definition of "purlieu" [pur•lieu]

  • An outlying or neighboring area. (noun)
  • Outskirts; the environs. (noun)
  • A place that one frequents. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "purlieu" in a sentence
  • "It is remarkable that the term purlieu is never once mentioned in this long roll of parchment."
  • "A purlieu is a familiar or outlying place; a purview is a range or scope."
  • "Stuck with his family in a purlieu of Rome densely populated by other displaced Jews, he immerses himself in his memories, which include seeing his father murdered by Cossacks and, just as hauntingly, informing on his cousin for Zionist activity."