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chalet

 - 4 dictionary results

cha⋅let

[sha-ley, shal-ey; Fr. shah-le]
–noun, plural cha⋅lets [sha-leyz, shal-eyz; Fr. shah-le] .
1. a herdsman's hut in the Swiss Alps.
2. a kind of farmhouse, low and with wide eaves, common in Alpine regions.
3. any cottage, house, ski lodge, etc., built in this style.

Origin:
1810–20; < F, SwissF, equiv. to *chale shelter (c. OPr cala cove 1 ) + -et -et
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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cha·let   (shā-lā', shāl'ā)   
n.  
    1. A wooden dwelling with a sloping roof and widely overhanging eaves, common in Switzerland and other Alpine regions.

    2. A cottage or lodge built in this style.

  1. The hut of a herder in the Swiss Alps.


[French, from Swiss French, possibly diminutive of *cala, shelter.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

chalet 
1782, from Swiss-Fr., prob. dim. of O.Fr. chasel "farmhouse," perhaps from V.L. *casalis "belonging to a house," from L. casa "house;" or from O.Prov. cala "small shelter for ships," from a pre-L. language.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

chalet

timber house characteristic of Switzerland, the Bavarian Alps, Tirol, and the French Alps. The name originally referred to a sheepherder's dwelling and, later, to any small house in the mountains.

Learn more about chalet with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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