chalet

UK: /ˈʃæleɪ/ US: /ʃæˈleɪ/ ,(sha lā′, shal′ā; Fr. shä le′)

Inflections of 'chalet' (n): npl: chalets

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

cha•let /ʃæˈleɪ/   n. [countable]

1. Architecture a Swiss wooden house common in the Alps, having a very steeply slanting roof and often decorative carving.
2. Architecture a cottage, house, ski lodge, etc., built in this style.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

cha•let  (sha lā′, shal′ā; Fr. shä le′), n., pl. cha•lets 

(sha lāz′, shal′āz; Fr. shä le′). 
1. Architecture a herdsman's hut in the Swiss Alps.
2. Architecture a kind of farmhouse, low and with wide eaves, common in Alpine regions.
3. Architecture any cottage, house, ski lodge, etc., built in this style.

• French, Swiss French, equivalent. to *chale shelter (cognate with Old Provencal cala cove¹) + -et -et
• 1810–20

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

chalet / 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

Etymology: 19th Century: from French (Swiss dialect)