Parquet
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The parquet in some countries, including France, is the prosecution service. The parquet général is the prosecution service of a cour d'appel or the Cour de Cassation.
The word literally means "wooden floor"; this is because, as opposed to the judges, who sit on an elevated platform during trials, the prosecution pleads standing on the floor.
This also explains why the judges are sometimes referred to as "sitting magistrates" (magistrature assise) or "magistrates of the Seat" (magistrats du siège) while the prosecutors are sometimes referred to as "standing magistrates" (magistrature debout).
The literal meaning of "wooden floor" also gives rise to the common North American usage of the word to mean a patterned wooden floor[1] (http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=parquet). A parquet floor is typically composed of thin wooden tiles. The wooden tiles are made of thin, wood strips held together by a metal backing. Because the wood is thinner and shorter than hardwood planks, a parquet wood floor is cheaper to install. In North America, parquet is a common surface for playing basketball.