salon

[suh-lon, sa-lawn]

noun

plural

salons 

1. a drawing room or reception room in a large house.

2. an assembly of guests in such a room, especially an assembly, common during the 17th and 18th centuries, consisting of the leaders in society, art, politics, etc.

3. a hall or place used for the exhibition of works of art.

4. a shop, business, or department of a store offering a specific product or service related to fashion, hairdressing, or beauty.

   a bridal salon;

   a hair salon;

   a beauty salon.

5. (initial capital letter),  (in France)

   1. the Salon, an annual exhibition of works of art by living artists, originally held at the Salon d'Apollon: it became, during the 19th century, the focal point of artistic controversy and was identified with academicism and official hostility to progress in art.

   2. a national exhibition of works of art by living artists.

      Salon des Refusés; Salon des Indépendants.

salon

/ ˈsælɒn /

noun

1. a room in a large house in which guests are received

2. an assembly of guests in a fashionable household, esp a gathering of major literary, artistic, and political figures from the 17th to the early 20th centuries

3. a commercial establishment in which hairdressers, beauticians, etc, carry on their businesses

   beauty salon

4. 1. a hall for exhibiting works of art

   2. such an exhibition, esp one showing the work of living artists

salon

1. A periodic gathering of persons noted in literature, philosophy, the fine arts, or similar areas, held at one person's home. Salons thrived in the Enlightenment.

Word History and Origins

Origin of salon¹

First recorded in 1705–15; from French, from Italian salone, equivalent to sal(a) “hall” (from Germanic; compare Old English sæl, Old Saxon seli, German Saal, Old Norse salr ) + -one augmentative suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of salon¹

C18: from French, from Italian salone, augmented form of sala hall, of Germanic origin; compare Old English sele hall, Old High German sal, Old Norse salr hall

Example Sentences

There is a black market and to be safe people should avoid buying from unregulated sellers such as beauty salons or via social media.

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She said the community felt very worried as "a lot" of the salon's clients have had their cars broken into, as well as some having theirs stolen.

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A “salon” of multiple smaller works introduced each section, enlarging on Mr. Whitney’s shift from gatherings of blunt, sometimes layered, rounded forms to the abutments of rectangles that have preoccupied him since the 1990s.

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However, doctors and nurses say beauticians are finding unlicensed Botox online and injecting patients in high street salons and in their homes.

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Johanna Solf, the widow of a former German ambassador who had hosted earlier political salons, volunteered that once a new government took over Hitler would be put “against a wall.”

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Related Words

• gallery 
• hall 
• parlor 
• room 
• shop 
• showroom