In modern French, “lieu” means “place.” “Purlieu” is likely an alteration of the Anglo-Norman French “puralee,” meaning “a going round to settle the boundaries.” In medieval England, the lucky few who were able to acquire land would hold a ceremony, called a “perambulation,” to make it clear that the land belonged to them. In this ceremony, the landowner would walk around and record the boundaries of his property, accompanied by witnesses. There could be a boundary dispute if one’s land bordered a royal forest, but a perambulation made it possible for these owners to gain at least some degree of ownership — though the royals would still retain the right to hunt on the grounds. This kind of regained forest property was called a “purlewe,” later changed to “purlieu.”