saloon
UK[səˈluːn]US[səˈluːn]
n
a public room or building used for a specified purpose, especially a large room on a ship or a stylish bar.
n
a place where alcoholic drinks are sold and consumed; a bar.
n
a large car with a closed body and a separate boot/trunk; a sedan.
Morpheme Breakdown
salon
salon
reception room
Etymology
the word 'saloon' is an anglicized spelling of the french word 'salon', meaning a large reception room or hall. it entered english in the early 18th century, initially referring to a large room for social gatherings, particularly on a ship. the semantic evolution saw it specialize to denote a public room for drinking, leading to the american 'barroom' sense. the later application to a type of closed automobile in the 20th century draws an analogy to the comfortable, enclosed space of a luxurious room.
Analysis
Structure: salon (reception room)
salon, from french 'salon' (reception room), from italian 'salone' (large hall), augmentative of 'sala' (hall), from a germanic source (cf. old english 'sæl', old norse 'salr' meaning hall, room).
Examples
the old western movie featured a dramatic gunfight in the town saloon.
we enjoyed a drink in the ship's forward saloon.
he drove a classic four-door saloon from the 1960s.