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

Planning permission has been recently granted for a farm shop and deli to make the chalet its home, with the owners hoping to revitalise one of the Isle of Man's beloved beauty spots.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

The owner of multiple luxury properties in Manhattan, she took her friends and lovers on extravagant romps on her private plane and on chartered boats, or to her chalet in Vail.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 8, 2025

"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

For her seventh birthday, a tiny wooden chalet stands in the center of the kitchen table where the sugar bowl ought to be.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Related Words

• cabin
• hut