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sedan

Etymology and origin of the English word sedan

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /səˈdæn/ (UK); /səˈdæn/, /sɪˈdæn/ (US)[1]

Etymology

Of uncertain or unknown origin.[2][3][4][5][6] It is possibly from a southern Italian dialect derivative of Italian sede (“chair”), from Latin sēdēs (“seat”), related to sedēre “to sit”;[3][4] the sedan chair was said to have originated in Naples.[4] Weekley suggests that Sir Sanders Duncombe, who popularized the chairs in England in 1634, may have coined the name from Italian sedere “to sit”.[4] The often-repeated derivation from the French town of Sedan, first proposed by Samuel Johnson, lacks historical evidence.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A covered chair for one person carried on two poles by two bearers (1635).[7][3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

The sedan chair was fashionable in the 17th and 18th centuries.[7] The name was transferred to a litter or palanquin (1646),[7] and in the 20th century to a closed car seating four or more people (1912 in the OED; 1915 in Barnhart),[7][3] a sense used chiefly in North America, where British English says saloon.[7]

Timeline

  • 1634 – sedan chairs introduced to England by Sir Sanders Duncombe.[4]
  • 1635 – a covered chair carried on poles.[7][3][4][5]
  • 1646 – a litter or palanquin.[7]
  • 1912 – a closed automobile.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A closed automobile with two or four doors and front and rear seats for four or more people, called a saloon in Britain.
  2. A sedan chair, an enclosed chair for one person carried on poles by two bearers.
  • sedan chair
  • sedentary
  • palanquin
  • litter
  • coupe

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Sedan.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/sedan. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·