English word origin

Etymology of sedan

The sense of "windowed chair" was first used by Sir Sanders Duncombe in 1634, possibly from a southern Italian dialect of Italian sede (“seat”), from Latin sedes. The "motorcar" sense was first recorded in 1912 in North

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

An enclosed windowed chair suitable for a single occupant, carried by at least two porters, in equal numbers in front and behind, using wooden rails that passed through metal brackets on the sides of the chair. · An automobile designed in a configuration with separate compartments for engine space, driver/passenger space, and luggage or (limited) cargo space.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionsedeit
Derivation mentionsedesla

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "it",
        "3": "sede",
        "4": "",
        "5": "seat"
      },
      "expansion": "Italian sede (“seat”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "sedes"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin sedes"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "sede",
      "sede#Italian"
    ],
    [
      "sedes",
      "sedes#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An enclosed windowed chair suitable for a single occupant, carried by at least two porters, in equal numbers in front and behind, using wooden rails that passed through metal brackets on the sides of the chair.",
        "An automobile designed in a configuration with separate compartments for engine space, driver/passenger space, and luggage or (limited) cargo space."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "Canada",
        "New-Zealand",
        "Philippines",
        "US"
      ],
      "recordId": "67bf9a62840d6a955448ebb011b7cf760cf1884062a11b48c0c30b514047f63e",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 166406
    }
  ],
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A handbarrow for transporting fish.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Invented at Sedan in France.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "Sedan",
      "Sedan#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A handbarrow for transporting fish."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "075914e1ef98094511236bcdac90db600fdc832c616cb9a573a1a9c331b8869f",
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for sedan →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-c2VkYW4