sedan-chair

A servant carries a sedan-chair through a bustling market street.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A covered chair for one person, carried on poles by two bearers, used as a mode of transport in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • In the 18th century, wealthy people often traveled by sedan-chair. (A covered chair carried by bearers.)
  • The museum displayed an antique sedan-chair with ornate carvings. (A historical vehicle for one person.)

Advanced Usage

• "to ride in a sedan-chair": to travel using this vehicle.

  • The lady was carried to the ball in a sedan-chair. (She was transported by bearers in a covered chair.)

• "sedan-chair bearers": the people who carried the chair.

  • Two strong sedan-chair bearers lifted the chair carefully. (The individuals responsible for transporting the passenger.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sedan (n): a shortened form of "sedan-chair", also a type of car with a closed body.
  • The sedan was a popular vehicle in the 1920s. (A type of automobile, not the chair.)
• Chair (n): a seat for one person, especially with a back and four legs.
  • Please sit on this chair. (A piece of furniture, not the carrying device.)

Synonyms

• Litter: a vehicle consisting of a couch or bed carried by people or animals.
• Palanquin: a covered litter for one person, used in East Asia.

Related Idioms