parlor-boarder

A parlor-boarder enjoys afternoon tea with the headmaster's family in the drawing room.

Definition

Noun: A parlor-boarder is a student who lives in the home of a school headmaster or principal, rather than in a dormitory or boarding house. This arrangement typically allows the student to enjoy more comfort or family-like surroundings, often including use of the family’s parlor (a formal sitting room).

Usage Examples

• (A student residing with the school principal’s household.)
• (A student living in a private home connected to the school.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is historically specific, often used in 19th- and early 20th-century British boarding schools. It contrasts with a regular boarder, who lives in a school dormitory.
  • The parlor-boarder paid extra fees for the privilege of living in the headmaster’s residence. (The student enjoyed a more exclusive living arrangement.)

Variants and Related Words

• Parlour-boarder (noun): An alternative spelling, primarily British.

  • The school offered only a few places for parlour-boarders each year. (The same arrangement, spelled in the British style.)

• Boarder (noun): A student who lives at a boarding school.

  • The boarders ate together in the school dining hall. (A general term for any student residing at the school.)

Synonyms

• Resident pupil: A student who lives at the school.
• Live-in student: A student who resides on school premises.

Related Idioms

• No common idioms directly involve “parlor-boarder,” though the term may appear in historical literature about school life.