salon

[ suh-lon; French sa-lawn ]
/ səˈlɒn; French saˈlɔ̃ /

noun, plural sa·lons [suh-lonz; French sa-lawn] /səˈlɒnz; French saˈlɔ̃/.

a drawing room or reception room in a large house.
an assembly of guests in such a room, especially an assembly, common during the 17th and 18th centuries, consisting of the leaders in society, art, politics, etc.
a hall or place used for the exhibition of works of art.
a shop, business, or department of a store offering a specific product or service, especially one catering to a fashionable clientele: a dress salon; a hair salon.
(initial capital letter) (in France)
  1. the Salon, an annual exhibition of works of art by living artists, originally held at the Salon d'Apollon: it became, during the 19th century, the focal point of artistic controversy and was identified with academicism and official hostility to progress in art.
  2. a national exhibition of works of art by living artists: Salon des Refusés; Salon des Indépendants.

Origin of salon

1705–15; < French < Italian salone, equivalent to sal(a) hall (< Germanic; compare Old English sæl, Old Saxon seli, German Saal, Old Norse salr) + -one augmentative suffix

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH salon

salon saloon

Example sentences from the Web for salon

British Dictionary definitions for salon

salon
/ (ˈsælɒn) /

noun

a room in a large house in which guests are received
an assembly of guests in a fashionable household, esp a gathering of major literary, artistic, and political figures from the 17th to the early 20th centuries
a commercial establishment in which hairdressers, beauticians, etc, carry on their businesses beauty salon
  1. a hall for exhibiting works of art
  2. such an exhibition, esp one showing the work of living artists

Word Origin for salon

C18: from French, from Italian salone, augmented form of sala hall, of Germanic origin; compare Old English sele hall, Old High German sal, Old Norse salr hall

Cultural definitions for salon

salon

A periodic gathering of persons noted in literature, philosophy, the fine arts, or similar areas, held at one person's home. Salons thrived in the Enlightenment.