sedan chair

American  

noun

1. an enclosed vehicle for one person, borne on poles by two bearers and common during the 17th and 18th centuries.

---

sedan chair British  

noun

1. Sometimes shortened to: sedan.  a closed chair for one passenger, carried on poles by two bearers. It was commonly used in the 17th and 18th centuries

---

Etymology

Origin of sedan chair

First recorded in 1740–50

Example Sentences

While the grandees mingle, Rinehart sets up court with her entourage in a shaded corner of the garden on what looks like a sedan chair, but is actually just a garden settee.

From The Guardian • Sep. 27, 2019

The dedication ceremony featured a dance number from “Cats,” during which Ms. Lynne was carried onstage aboard a feather-adorned sedan chair.

From Washington Post • Jul. 3, 2018

I recommend a sedan chair or a palanquin, depending on income level.

From New York Times • Jan. 8, 2018

She often avoided confrontations on the narrow pavements by travelling in her sedan chair, which can still be seen in the town's heritage centre.

From BBC • Dec. 3, 2014

In the middle, in an ornamented sedan chair carried by four people, sat a woman, the mistress, on red cushions beneath a colored awning.

From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse