Dictionary.com

wagon-lit

[ French va-gawn-lee ]
/ French va gɔ̃ˈli /
Save This Word!

noun, plural wa·gons-lits [va-gawn-lee]. /va gɔ̃ˈli/.
(in continental European usage) a railroad sleeping car.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of wagon-lit

First recorded in 1880–85; from French, equivalent to wagon “railway coach” (from English ) + lit “bed” (from Latin lectus )
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use wagon-lit in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wagon-lit

wagon-lit
/ (French vaɡɔ̃li) /

noun plural wagons-lits (vaɡɔ̃li)
a sleeping car on a European railway
a compartment on such a car

Word Origin for wagon-lit

C19: from French, from wagon railway coach + lit bed
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK