Saloon
SALOON, a large room for the reception of guests in a mansion. The French salon itself is formed from salle, Ger. Saal, hall, reception-room, represented in Old English by the cognate seel, hall, properly " abiding-place," from the root seen in Gothic saljan, to dwell, cf. Russ. selo, village. The word in its proper sense has now a somewhat archaistic flavour, being chiefly used of the 18th century, and it has come principally to be used (i) of the large rooms on passenger steamers; (2) on English railways of carriages for the accommodation of large parties not divided into compartments, and in the United States of the so-called " drawing-room cars "; and (3) of a bar or place for the sale of intoxicants.
Note - this article incorporates content from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, (1910-1911)
