Deckchair

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A lightweight folding seat with a canvas back and footrest, commonly used for relaxing outdoors on a beach or lawn
2. An collapsible outdoor chair made of wood or metal with a fabric seat that reclines, often found at the seaside
3. A portable reclining seat with a cloth backrest and extended leg rest, designed for comfortable sitting in open-air settings

Etymology: A deckchair is, as the name suggests, a chair made for use on a ship's deck, and the word is simply a compound of "deck" and "chair" with no hidden history behind it. "Deck" comes from Middle Dutch "dec", meaning a covering, which was later applied to the planked floor laid over a ship's hull. "Chair" arrived in English through Old French "chaiere" from Latin "cathedra", a seat, itself borrowed from Greek "kathedra". Put together, the two parts describe exactly what the object is: a folding seat built for the open decks of ships, where passengers could sit in the sun or wind.

Synonyms: beach chair, folding chair