A saloon is a type of establishment, especially the kind found in American frontier towns during the 1800s. Picture swinging doors, a long wooden bar, and cowboys ordering drinks after a dusty cattle drive. These saloons were social centers where people gathered for news, entertainment, card games, and conversation. Some had piano players, and many served food. While Hollywood westerns make saloons seem wild and lawless, most were ordinary businesses where tired workers relaxed after long days.

The word can also refer to a large public room on a passenger ship or train, like a dining saloon where travelers eat meals together. In Britain, people still use saloon to describe a sedan-style car with a closed body and separate trunk.

Saloons mostly disappeared after the early 1900s, replaced by bars, taverns, and restaurants. But the word survived in our language and imagination, forever linked to that era of American history when small frontier towns were just beginning to grow into cities. Today, some restaurants and bars use “saloon” in their names to create an Old West atmosphere, complete with wooden furniture and vintage decorations.