Meanings of “Chaise Lounge”
The phrase “chaise lounge” means a type of American name for a sofa with backrest only at one end. These sofas are also called lounges. Lounge in English also means a “long couch”. Chaise lounge is often used for the deck furniture, patio, or outdoor poolside and Chaise longue indicates indoor furniture.
Origin of “Chaise Lounge”
The term “Chaise Lounge” which is correctly spelled as “Chaise Longue” was a linguistic error in the beginning but thrived as it does have a meaning. The phrase “chaise lounge” is stated to have originated from a furniture book published in 1807 titled as An Assembly of Truly Elegant Furniture. Later, it was published in The Newport Daily News in its edition of 1875 on January 4 where it goes as “A real rattan chaise lounge, such as is made at Singapore.” Though “Longue” is misspelled as “Lounge”, the pronunciation and spelling are largely limited to America.
Examples in Literature
Example #1
Our Chaise Longue by Elia Michael
Years ago we had a chaise-longue
It was so battered and tattered
We brothers wanted to prolong
Its old life – to us it mattered
We covered it in green fabric
A rich flock velvety pattern
It was no longer so antique
But was now quite a bit modern
This poem narrates the story of a chaise lounge which indirectly portrays their poverty to the visitors. However, the poet states that they hid its battered condition and their poverty through a green fabric having a velvety pattern on it. Therefore, it did not look old. The phrase has a denotative use, as it refers to the title of the poem, too. However, the ‘longue’ has been used in non-standard spelling and as a personification as if it has a life of its own.
Example #2
From Life Among the Woods by Teddi Berrigan
In the room for laying down there are four tiny books, four chaise lounges and four tiny tables,
In the room for infants there is a big table, plenty of chaise lounges and one grand placard on which are pictures of the toys of the tiny Woods; a puppy, a train, a toupee, a cigarette, some balls, some books, a pellet, soap, a strangler’s cord, and lots of other things.
The black bag and the wise man may be found in the brain room.
This excerpt shows the setting of a room. It talks about four “chaise lounges” in the very first line. The rest of the paragraph tells about other things lying around which include toys for kids, books, and cigarettes. The phrase has been used in a denotative sense. The chaise lounges are only used in the setting of the novel.
Example #3
Chaise Lounge by Tamia
Honey I ain’t been doing well
I’ve been out of town, you’ve been out the country
Missing seeing you and me around
And now your arms here when their around me
You walk through the door (feeling of fire)
Looking finer than before (hope you retire)So baby drop your luggage on the floor
We won’t make it upstairs
And you know the kids are down
Let’s settle on this chaise lounge
These two stanzas portray that the husband has been waiting for his beloved wife. He tells her that he has been out of town and she has been out of the country, he misses seeing her around. As their kids have gone upstairs to sleep, he wants to sit with her on the chaise lounge downstairs. The phrase has been used in its literal meanings without showing any other nuance.
Example #4
From NOTES: The Psychic Dislocations of Dayton Lummis by Dayton Lummis
It always pains me to see in a book that I am reading the term “chaise lounge.” In proper French, it should be “chaise lounge,” or in English “lounge chair,” something in which one lounges or relaxes. Of course, “lounge” in French means “long,” so technically the item is a “long chair.” A few literature authors get it right, “chaise longue,” but unfortunately not all that many. I guess the confusion is understandable, but I think that in a book written in English, it would be best to just say “lounge chair.”
The writer has beautifully explained the phrase chaise lounge and its real meaning. He points out what an error people have made by misspelling “Chaise Longue” for “Chaise Lounge”. He has also stated that it is termed the same in French and that although technically it is a long chair, it has become fashionable to call it chaise lounge. Since then it has proliferated in written English, too. The meanings of the phrase are literal and straightforward.
Example in Sentences
Example #1: “I loved sitting on the chaise lounge since my childhood as it gave me a sense of belonging.”
Example #2: “When I looked into the room, I saw that there was a chaise lounge, some chairs, some tables, and some broken pieces of furniture. The chaise lounge stood out among everything else.”
Example #3: “When he entered the house, the first thing he looked upon was the chaise lounge. He realized that it was one of the most beautiful pieces he had ever seen.”
Example #4: “He asked his friends to bring him chaise lounge, and when they brought one, he was overjoyed at its beauty.”
Example #5: “She looked around the house she had decorated and designed yet felt that there was something incomplete in the living room. She realized she needed a Chaise Lounge.”