What does saloon mean?
Saloon is an English noun with several familiar uses. In North America it means a public room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served; the word can sound historical or Western, but it remains clear and conventional in older contexts. In British car terminology, a saloon is a passenger car whose driver sits in a separate compartment from the passengers; elsewhere, the same broad category is often called a sedan. Saloon also appears in regional expressions such as hair saloon for a South Asian hairdressing establishment, and historically it denoted a large reception room used for entertainment or social gathering. These meanings share a history of designating a room: the word was borrowed from French salon, ultimately referring to a hall, before acquiring specialized uses. In everyday American English, pub or bar will usually sound more natural when describing a contemporary drinking place. Nevertheless, saloon remains useful because it preserves both a distinctive social setting and a concise international label for a traditional car design.
nounA public room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served, especially in North America; also, in British car terminology, a passenger car with a separate driver's compartment.
- In North American English, a public room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served, historically often part of a hotel, restaurant, or other business.
- In British car terminology, a passenger-car body style in which the driver and passengers occupy separate enclosed compartments; also, a passenger car of this type.
- In South Asian English, a hairdressing establishment, especially in the expression hair saloon.
- Historically, and in some architectural uses, a large reception room in a house or public building used for entertainment or social gatherings.
- On ships, a main social or dining room where passengers or crew may gather.
"After work, they met at the saloon, where the conversation was usually louder than the music."
"They met at the saloon after work, where the conversation was usually louder than the music."
"The vintage saloon was comfortable, but its separate driver's compartment made every journey feel unusually formal."
The regular plural is used when referring to more than one drinking establishment, car, room, or other entity of this kind.
"The two saloons stood on opposite sides of the dusty main street."
A word that can mean a bar, a grand hall, or a classic car body: English borrowed it for a room, then let the meaning specialize.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does saloon come from?
The word entered English from French salon, meaning a reception room, in the 17th century. French salon came from Italian salone, an augmentative of sala, meaning hall, which ultimately derives from Latin sala; the English drinking-place, hairdressing, and car senses developed later. Closely related forms include salon, salonnière, denoting a female salon hostess, and salon-goer, denoting someone who frequents artistic or intellectual gatherings.
Related word forms
How saloon is actually used
Saloon can sound dated or evoke the American West when used for a contemporary drinking place. It remains conventional in historical, regional, and South Asian usage, while bar or pub is generally more natural in current British and American English. For the car-body sense, saloon is standard British terminology; American English usually prefers sedan.
Easily confused with saloon
A salon is primarily a room for artistic or social gatherings and, in modern usage, a hair-care business, whereas a saloon is chiefly a North American drinking place and, in British car terminology, a separate-compartment passenger-car body.