chalet

noun

cha·​let sha-ˈlā 

ˈsha-(ˌ)lā

1

: a remote herdsman's hut in the Alps

2

a

: a Swiss dwelling with unconcealed structural members and a wide overhang at the front and sides

b

: a cottage or house in chalet style

Illustration of chalet

• chalet 2a

Synonyms of chalet

• cottage
• cabin

Examples of chalet in a Sentence

We stayed overnight at a ski chalet.

a mountain chalet for weekend getaways

Recent Examples on the Web

As an example, Mure points out, there are former residents of the Salamanca district who have chosen to invest the money from the sale in chalets in the luxury development of La Moraleja, in the neighboring municipality of Alcobendas, or El Viso, a neighborhood in the Chamberí district. —Pau Mosquera, CNN Money, 6 May 2026

Fergie has been hiding out at a luxury chalet in Austria, which a source told Heat World is costing her around $2700 per night. —Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 3 May 2026

Disneyland filed a building permit with the city of Anaheim in November to remodel the Edelweiss Snacks alpine chalet in the shadow of the Matterhorn Bobsleds and Disneyland Monorail, according to Theme Park IQ. —Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026

She was spotted at a luxe ski chalet that goes for $2,700 a night, according to The Times. —Janelle Ash , Ashley Papa , Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, borrowed from Franco-Provençal of Switzerland (and adjacent Alpine regions of France and Italy) tsalẹ̀, tchalè "cabin in upland summer pastures used as a residence and for processing milk into butter and cheese, pasture in the vicinity of such a structure," from tsal-, tchal-, stem probably meaning "shelter" seen as an underived noun in Old Occitan cala "cove, inlet" (also in Spanish & Catalan, and as a loanword from Spanish in Italian & Portuguese, probably a borrowing from a western Mediterranean substratal language) + -ẹ̀, -è -et entry 1

Note: A display of the variants found in Franco-Provençal of Switzerland can be seen in Glossaire des patois de la Suisse romande (tome 3, p. 270). The word occurs as chaletus in Latin documents from present-day Vaud canton beginning in the fourteenth century. As chalet the word is first attested in metropolitan French in 1723; it received wide circulation through its use in Jean-Jacques Rousseau's novel Julie ou la Nouvelle Héloïse (1761).

First Known Use

1782, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for chalet

• airway
• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• assez
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway

Kids Definition

chalet

noun

cha·​let sha-ˈlā 

ˈshal-ˌā

1

: a herdsman's hut in the Alps away from a town or village

2

a

: a Swiss dwelling with a roof that sticks far out past the walls

b

: a cottage built to look like a chalet