chaise
UK[ʃeɪz]US[ʃeɪz]
n
a light, open carriage for one or two people, typically pulled by a single horse.
n
a post chaise.
n
(also chaise longue) a long, low chair with a backrest and a seat long enough to support the legs.
Etymology
The English word 'chaise' is a direct borrowing from the French word 'chaise', meaning 'chair'. This French term itself evolved from the Latin 'cathedra', which originates from the Ancient Greek 'kathedra', a compound of 'kata-' ('down') and 'hedra' ('seat'), literally meaning 'a seat where one sits down'. The semantic shift from a general seat to a specific type of horse-drawn vehicle occurred in French during the 17th century, referring to a light carriage where passengers sat. English adopted the term in this specialized vehicular sense in the late 17th century, preserving the French spelling and pronunciation, while also later re-borrowing the original 'chair' sense in the compound 'chaise longue'.
Analysis
This word is a loanword from French, borrowed as a complete lexical unit. Its spelling and morphological structure are not productively analyzed using English morphemes.
Examples
They took a leisurely tour of the park in an elegant horse-drawn chaise.
The inn was a common stopping point for travelers in post chaises.
She relaxed on the chaise by the window, reading a book.