chalet

noun

cha·​let sha-ˈlā How to pronounce chalet (audio)
ˈsha-(ˌ)lā
Synonyms of chaletnext
1
: a remote herdsman's hut in the Alps
2
a
: a Swiss dwelling with unconcealed structural members and a wide overhang at the front and sides
b
: a cottage or house in chalet style

Illustration of chalet

Illustration of chalet
  • chalet 2a

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of chalet in a Sentence

We stayed overnight at a ski chalet. a mountain chalet for weekend getaways
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The luxury alpine travel company has over 140 years of heritage, offering travelers access to some of the most exclusive chalets and ski experiences around the world. — Rachel Dube, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025 There was the time that Karl Lagerfeld imported an iceberg from Sweden to the Grand Palais in Paris for Chanel, and the show that memorialized his life and work after his passing was staged as a snowy chalet. — José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 16 Feb. 2025 The historic landmark encompasses 259 guest rooms styled after European chalets, and the location itself is prime. — Rachel Fletcher, Architectural Digest, 23 Jan. 2025 The cabins’ location in remote nature taps into a part of hygge any outdoor enthusiast knows well: the joy of going from ski hill to chalet or mountaintop to warm sleeping bag. — Chloe Berge, AFAR Media, 24 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for chalet

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, borrowed from Franco-Provençal of Switzerland (and adjacent Alpine regions of France and Italy) tsalẹ̀, tchalè "cabin in upland summer pastures used as a residence and for processing milk into butter and cheese, pasture in the vicinity of such a structure," from tsal-, tchal-, stem probably meaning "shelter" seen as an underived noun in Old Occitan cala "cove, inlet" (also in Spanish & Catalan, and as a loanword from Spanish in Italian & Portuguese, probably a borrowing from a western Mediterranean substratal language) + -ẹ̀, -è -et entry 1

Note: A display of the variants found in Franco-Provençal of Switzerland can be seen in Glossaire des patois de la Suisse romande (tome 3, p. 270). The word occurs as chaletus in Latin documents from present-day Vaud canton beginning in the fourteenth century. As chalet the word is first attested in metropolitan French in 1723; it received wide circulation through its use in Jean-Jacques Rousseau's novel Julie ou la Nouvelle Héloïse (1761).

First Known Use

1782, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of chalet was in 1782

Rhymes for chalet

See All Rhymes for chalet

Browse Nearby Words

chalet
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chalet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chalet. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

chalet

noun
cha·​let sha-ˈlā How to pronounce chalet (audio)
ˈshal-ˌā
1
: a herdsman's hut in the Alps away from a town or village
2
a
: a Swiss dwelling with a roof that sticks far out past the walls
b
: a cottage built to look like a chalet

More from Merriam-Webster on chalet

Nglish: Translation of chalet for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chalet

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All