noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ˈʃæleɪ/
rhymes with -eɪ
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:SH AE1 L EY2
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:SH AH0 L EY1
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
An alpine style of wooden building with a sloping roof and overhanging eaves.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A recreational lodge or small house within the grounds of a resort or country club dedicated to the uniformed services, used for events, staycations and other social gatherings.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Singapore
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
a Swiss house with a sloping roof and wide eaves or a house built in this style
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: house
History
Etymology
Borrowed from French chalet, from Franco-Provençal çhalè (“herdsman's hut in the mountains”).
Across languages
Translations
27 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
شاليه
(ŝālé)
— type of wooden house
Chinese Mandarin:
小屋
(xiǎowū)
— type of wooden house
Czech:
chata
— type of wooden house
Esperanto:
ĉaledo
— type of wooden house
Finnish:
alppimaja
— type of wooden house
Finnish:
alppitalo
— type of wooden house
French:
chalet
— type of wooden house
German:
Chalet
— type of wooden house
Hungarian:
faház
— type of wooden house
Hungarian:
bungaló
— type of wooden house
Hungarian:
nyaraló
— type of wooden house
Hungarian:
nyári lak
— type of wooden house
Hungarian:
alpesi ház (ikó)
— type of wooden house