The term parlour initially designated the more modest reception rooms of the middle classes, but usage changed in the UK as homeowners sought to identify with the grander homes of the wealthy. Parlor remained the common usage in North America into the early 20th century. In French usage the word "salon", previously designating a state room, began to be used for a drawing room in the early part of the 19th century, reflecting the "salon" social gatherings that had become popular in the preceding decades.