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Glite Dictionary
parlor car

parlor car

7.7
A train car that has comfortable separate seats and costs extra
  • noun
  • /ˈpɑːrlər kɑːr/
  • Archaic
translation icon : salón
  • On our trip, we enjoyed the comfort of the parlor car, with its spacious seats and beautiful views.

Examples

  • Train's elegance was supplied locally by craftsmen who gave new life to the two parlor cars, dining car, kitchen car, and locomotives destined for abandonment.

    Academic text (1993)

  • There were men smoking in the parlour car.

    Pollyanna (1960)

  • When the train got to Washington, Miss Amy fetched Isaac, buying him a ticket for her parlor car.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The ticket agent recommended the parlor car for a more luxurious travel experience during the journey.

  • Traveling in the parlor car allowed us to relax and enjoy refreshments while watching the landscape glide by.

Synonyms

car
vsparlor car
130 5.7

A vehicle on tracks that carries passengers or goods

specifies that vehicle as a comfortable daytime seating option with extra fare
carriage
vsparlor car
  • UK
15 3.0

A part of a train that carries passengers

focuses specifically on comfortable individual daytime seating that costs extra
passenger car
vsparlor car
  • US
9 2.6

A part of a train that carries people

narrows this to a comfortable, charged daytime seating option
railroad car
vsparlor car
  • US
6 2.5

A vehicle on railway tracks that carries people or goods

applies that broad vehicle idea to a specific paid daytime seating type
club car
vsparlor car
  • US
3 4.9

A train carriage with a bar and seats for people to relax and talk

offers private charged daytime seating rather than communal social space
lounge car
vsparlor car
  • US
1 5.5

A train car with seats, a bar, and tables for passengers to relax and talk

focuses instead on individual charged seats for daytime comfort
railway car
vsparlor car
  • UK
1 2.3

A vehicle that runs on tracks and carries people or goods

limits this general vehicle sense to a premium daytime seating service
drawing-room car
vsparlor car
  • Archaic
9.2

A passenger train car with private seats that costs extra

is the same concept described with a different name
chair car
vsparlor car
  • Indian
5.6

A part of a train with comfortable individual seats for daytime travel that costs extra

is the same idea but framed as a specific named service
palace car
vsparlor car
  • Archaic
9.1

A very comfortable train car with individual seats that costs extra

shares individual charged daytime seating but emphasizes comfort over luxury

How Comfortable

palace car
  • Archaic
9.1
parlor car
  • Archaic
7.7
lounge car
  • US
1 5.5
coach
75 1.3

Surface Forms

parlor car singular
parlor cars plural
parlour cars plural
parlour car singular

Morphology

parlor + car

The compound is directly compositional: 'parlor' (a room for entertaining, implying comfort and seating) modifies 'car' (a railroad vehicle), so a B1 learner who knows both words will infer a railway carriage designed for comfortable seating. While finer details (extra fare, daytime use) may not be fully specified by the constituents, the core meaning of a comfortable/special passenger car is transparently derivable from the parts.

Etymology

The noun parlor car comes from putting parlor (a home's sitting room with comfortable chairs) and car (a train car) together. The image was a train car that felt like a private sitting room, so a parlor car means a special, more comfortable train car that often costs an 'extra fare'.