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

On the main campus, cabins are cozy and compact, while the cottages and chalets offer more space. — Rachel Tepper Paley, Bon Appetit Magazine, 15 Oct. 2026

Designed by architect Nicola Spinetto and created by Romain Larue from Orati, the eco-friendly structure — which resembles a chalet and is dubbed Banijay House — includes meeting rooms, a reception area and several terraces. — K.j. Yossman, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026

Behind its imposing wood and stone exterior, suites outfitted in pine furniture and crisp white linens read chalet-chic. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026

While the main chalet offers space for family gatherings—long dinners prepared on a La Cornue range followed by listening sessions with music from a vintage jukebox in the playroom—the wellness zone on the lower level invites a slower rhythm. — Michael James Gardner, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 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