/
ˈpəːljuː/
n.
(pl. purlieus or purlieux)
-
(purlieus or purlieux)
the area near or surrounding a place.
- Brit. historical a tract on the border of a forest, especially one earlier included in it and still partly subject to forest laws.
Etymology
C15: prob. an alt. (suggested by Fr. lieu ‘place’) of Anglo-Norman Fr. puralee ‘a going round to settle the boundaries’.
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