chalet

American  

[sha-ley, shal-ey, shah-le] / ʃæˈleɪ, ˈʃæl eɪ, ʃɑˈlɛ /

noun

plural

chalets

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.

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chalet British  

/ ˈʃæleɪ, ʃalɛ /

noun

1. a type of wooden house of Swiss origin, typically low, with wide projecting eaves

2. a similar house used esp as a ski lodge, garden house, etc

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Etymology

Origin of chalet

1810–20; < French, SwissF, equivalent to *chale shelter (cognate with Old Provençal cala cove ¹ ) + -et -et

Example Sentences

I don’t mean she naps back at a cozy chalet or even the back seat of a team van.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

"There was nothing on this. This was a dump," says Jimmy Stringfellow as he stands by the chalet he built near Glasgow's River Clyde.

From BBC • Aug. 30, 2025

And the fourth day was that scene in the chalet with the Fireflies and Joel on the floor.

From Los Angeles Times • May 25, 2025

Winter finds them in a chalet up a snowy mountain, with a return to the lake house for circular closure.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2025

Going back to Bobby’s chalet, the two analyzed some games, and Thorbergsson continued his volley of subtle arguments for why Bobby should play exclusively in Iceland.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• cabin
• hut