chaise

IPA/ʃeɪz/
KK[ʃˈez]IPA/ʃeɪz/

chaise — noun

  • chaisesingular
  • chaisesplural

1. a long chair designed for a person to sit or lie down with their legs stretched

1.nounB2
Definition

a long chair designed for a person to sit or lie down with their legs stretched out, used in gardens, on patios, or beside swimming pools

Example

After lunch, Dahlia stretched out on a chaise by the hotel pool.

stretch out on a chaise

The garden furniture included two wooden chaises and a small table.

Common collocations
  • sit on a chaise
  • lie on a chaise
  • stretch out on a chaise
  • garden chaise
  • poolside chaise
  • chaise cushion
Synonyms
  • chaise longue

    the full original French term for the same piece of furniture

  • sun lounger

    British term for a similar outdoor reclining chair

  • deck chair

    a folding chair used outdoors, usually lighter than a chaise

Grammar Patterns

a/the chaise

chaises (plural)

Usage Note

In American English, the term is often written as 'chaise lounge' under the influence of the English word 'lounge', though the original French spelling is 'chaise longue' (meaning 'long chair').

Common Mistakes

I sat in a chase by the pool.
I sat in a chaise by the pool.
'chaise' sounds like 'chase' but is a different word. Do not confuse the spelling.
The hotel had chaise lounges by the pool.
The hotel had chaises longues by the pool.
The French phrase 'chaise longue' keeps its original spelling in formal British English, though 'chaise lounge' is common in the US.

2. a light, two-wheeled vehicle that was pulled by one horse in the past, designed

2.nounC1
Definition

a light, two-wheeled vehicle that was pulled by one horse in the past, designed to carry one or two passengers on short trips

Example

The painting showed a couple riding in a chaise through the snow.

riding in a chaise

At the fair, visitors could take a short ride in a restored nineteenth-century chaise.

restored chaise (collocation)

Common collocations
  • horse-drawn chaise
  • ride in a chaise
  • travel by chaise
  • chaise with a folding top
Synonyms
  • gig

    a specific type of light, two-wheeled chaise pulled by one horse

  • carriage

    a broader term for any horse-drawn passenger vehicle

  • cabriolet

    a horse-drawn carriage with a folding top, similar to a chaise

Grammar Patterns

a/the chaise (historical)

by chaise (mode of transport)

Usage Note

This sense of 'chaise' is almost exclusively historical. Modern speakers are far more likely to use 'carriage' or 'gig' for a two-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle.

Common Mistakes

She arrived at the ball in a modern chaise.
She arrived at the ball in a carriage.
'chaise' in this sense refers specifically to a historical two-wheeled vehicle; do not use it for modern carriages or automobiles.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A 'chaise' (or 'chaise longue') is a long upholstered chair designed for reclining, usually indoors or on a covered patio. 'Sun lounger' is the common British term for the adjustable plastic or fabric version found around hotel pools and on beaches. 'Deck chair' refers to a lightweight folding chair, originally used on ship decks, with a wooden frame and fabric seat — it is portable and less supportive than a chaise. 'Lounger' is a general, informal word for any chair you can stretch out on. If you want to describe a padded, elegant piece of indoor furniture, use 'chaise' or 'chaise longue'; for outdoor furniture by the water, 'sun lounger' sounds more natural.

chaise longue ↗sun loungerdeck chair ↗lounger ↗

Common collocations

Prepositions

  • in a chaise
  • on a chaise

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Borrowed directly from French 'chaise', meaning 'chair', which itself comes from Latin 'cathedra' (seat). The French word displaced the earlier English word 'chair' for this specific item in the 17th century. The phrase 'chaise longue' literally means 'long chair' in French. The American variant 'chaise lounge' arose from a folk-etymology association with the English word 'lounge'.

First known use

1701

1701, in the meaning defined at sense 1