A Sedan Chair Came Before the Sedan Car
A sedan is an enclosed car, or an old covered chair carried by two men. The car took its name from the chair.
A sedan is an enclosed passenger car with separate boot, called a *saloon* in Britain. The car borrowed the name from the sedan chair, an enclosed box carried on poles by two bearers, common in seventeenth and eighteenth century cities. Both share the idea of an enclosed compartment carrying a seated passenger, and the Latin *sedere*, to sit, sits behind the whole family. The chair may take its name from Sedan in France, though that is disputed.
- An enclosed car (US). *A four-door sedan.*
- Saloon — the British word. *A saloon car.*
- A carried chair. *A sedan chair.*
- Latin — *sedere*, to sit. *The root.*
- Sedentary — from the same root. *Sedentary.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | sedan | A sedan. |
| Plural | sedans | Sedans. |
| British | saloon | A saloon. |
| Compound | sedan chair | A sedan chair. |
| Latin | sedere | To sit. |
- They bought a four-door sedan.American.
- Britain calls it a saloon.Usage.
- Sedan chairs crossed muddy streets.History.
Car body names on each side of the Atlantic
- Sedan (US) — saloon (UK)
- Station wagon (US) — estate (UK)
- Hood (US) — bonnet (UK)
- Trunk (US) — boot (UK)
- Windshield (US) — windscreen (UK)
Probably from Sedan in northern France, or from a form of Latin *sedere*, to sit. The chair sense is from the 1600s.
What is a sedan chair?
An enclosed chair on poles, carried by two bearers, used for city travel in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
What do the British call a sedan?
A saloon. The two terms describe the same three-box car body.