1630s, "covered chair on poles," possibly from a southern Italian dialect derivative of Italian sede "chair" (compare Italian seggietta, 1590s; the thing itself was said to have been introduced from Naples), from Latin sedes, related to sedere "sit" (see sedentary). Since Johnson's conjecture, often derived from the town of Sedan in France, where it was said to have been made or first used, but historical evidence for this is lacking.
Introduced in England by Sir Sanders Duncombe in 1634 and first called a covered chair. "In Paris the sedan-chair man was usually an Auvergnat, in London an Irishman" ["Encyclopaedia Britannica," 1929]. Meaning "closed automobile seating four or more" first recorded 1912, American English.
雙語例句
1. The chauffeur turned the sedan about.
司機把轎車掉頭.
來自《簡明英漢詞典》
2. My parents own a Ford sedan.
我父母有一輛“福特”牌轎車.
來自《簡明英漢詞典》
3. 'shall we hire a sedan - chair to take her home? "
“ 叫一頂轎子送她去 么 ? ”
來自漢英文學 - 中國現代小說
4. Before five in the morning, the sedan bearers washed and cooked rice.
早晨不到五點鐘, 轎夫們淘米煮飯.
來自漢英文學 - 圍城
5. Madam Wang and her five children quickly departed in three sedan - chairs.