chalet
/ˈʃaleɪ
/noun
1A wooden house with overhanging eaves, typically found in the Swiss Alps.Although the predominant style is the traditional log cabin, other styles range from Swiss chalets to upscale modern wooden condominiums....
- The wooden chalets reminded us of the houses in Himachali villages with the upper floors projecting beyond the ground-level ones.
- We poked around in abandoned wooden chalets and our guide told us of the time when laundry was done only twice a year, and bread would be baked on an annual basis and eaten after being dipped in hot soup or water before being consumed!
1.1British A small cabin or house used by holidaymakers, forming a unit within a holiday complex.Conservationists and villagers are opposing a scheme to build holiday chalets at a North Yorkshire trout fishery, because they fear it could become a ‘monster’ tourist attraction....
- As well as enjoying the views from his home, Aitken runs the estate as a business, renting out holiday chalets in and around the loch and charging fishermen £25 a day to catch trout.
- Today, the Cal Neva has been restored and redeveloped as a complete resort featuring lake view rooms, cabins, and chalets.
Origin
Late 18th century: from Swiss French, diminutive of Old French chasel 'farmstead', based on Latin casa 'hut, cottage'.
casino from mid 18th century:
Nowadays a casino is chiefly associated with gambling, but originally it was a public room used for dancing and music. The word is borrowed from the Italian for ‘little house’, which is ultimately from Latin casa ‘cottage’, the source of chalet (late 18th century).