Chalet
/ˈʃæl.eɪ/noun
A small house or cottage, especially one built in a Swiss style.
Did you know?Chalet entered English through French and ultimately comes from a Latin root meaning an enclosed place, which is why the word still carries that tucked-away, sheltered feeling.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*stel-
“to put, place, or set up”
Latin
Latin
stallum
“a standing place; stall or station”
Late Latin
Latin
cala
“a hut or shelter”
Old French
Old French
chalet
“a shepherd’s hut or mountain hut”
Modern English
English
chalet
“a small house or cottage, especially one built in a Swiss style”