wagon-lit

[ French va-gawn-lee ]
/ French va gɔ̃ˈli /
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noun, plural wa·gons-lits [va-gawn-lee]. /va gɔ̃ˈli/.

(in continental European usage) a railroad sleeping car.

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Origin of wagon-lit

First recorded in 1880–85; from French, equivalent to wagon “railway coach” (from English ) + lit “bed” (from Latin lectus )

Words nearby wagon-lit

wagonage, wagon boss, wagoner, wagonette, wagon-headed, wagon-lit, wagonload, wagon master, wagon roof, wagon seat, wagon soldier
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to wagon-lit

roomette, sleeper

Example sentences from the Web for wagon-lit

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