purlieus

Outlying neighboring districts

Purlieus are the outlying areas surrounding a place—its environs or outskirts.

The word often suggests familiar haunts or a neighborhood someone frequents: He knew every corner of the purlieus around the old market.

The singular purlieu exists but the plural dominates in modern usage.

The word is literary and somewhat old-fashioned.

environs

outskirts

Outer parts of town

hinterland · borderland · exurbia · satellite · sprawl · backcountry · countryside · periphery · fringes · marches

haunts

hangout

Frequented gathering place

  • hauntTrouble persistently, as spirits
  • denPrivate room or lair
  • lairAnimal's hidden dwelling

retreat · rendezvous · locale · spot · joint · refuge · sanctuary · habitat · abode · dwelling

boundaries

limits

Imposed maximum points

edges · perimeter · margins · threshold · verge · brink · demarcation · frontier · borderline · circumference

Opposites
spatial centrality

purlieuscenter

Middle of anything

centers · core · heart · hub · nucleus

familiarity of territory

purlieusuncharted territory

Unmapped, unexplored area

terra incognita

Family

purlieu

Familiarity
Top 1,000,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G