Parsons table
- noun
- /ˈpɑːrsənz ˈteɪbəl/
- Specialized
:
mesa Parsons
- The living room featured a sleek Parsons table in the center, giving the space a minimalist look.
Examples
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She placed her coffee mug on the Parsons table while reading the newspaper.
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Modern designers often choose a Parsons table for its simple, versatile design.
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The new Parsons table fits perfectly in my dining room.
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I bought two Parsons tables for my office.
-
Modern designers often choose a Parsons table for its simple, versatile design.
-
The living room featured a sleek Parsons table in the center, giving the space a minimalist look.
-
I bought two Parsons tables for my office.
How Modern
Surface Forms
Morphology
Parsons + table
The word 'table' clearly signals the general category (a piece of furniture), but 'Parsons' is an eponym/proper name that does not encode the specific design features. Because the category is transparent but the distinctive construction details (sturdy rectangular form, equal-width legs) cannot be predicted from the constituents, the expression is only partially transparent to learners.
Etymology
Parsons table comes from a project at the Parsons School of Design. One popular story says students were asked to make a plain table with the same width for the top and the legs, giving it a clean, box-like look. That's why a Parsons table today means a simple, sturdy table with equal-width top and legs.