A chaise longue is an upholstered sofa in the shape of a chair that is long enough to support the legs.
It is sometimes incorrectly written as "chaise lounge", which has persisted so strongly in the United States that it is no longer considered incorrect there, and can even be found in its dictionaries (an example of folk etymology).
In modern French the term chaise longue can refer to any long reclining chair such as a deckchair. A literal translation in English is "long chair". In the United States the term lounge chair is also used to refer to any long reclining chair.
It is thought that the first blend of a chair and daybed originated in Egypt. The earliest known models were made from palm sticks lashed together with pieces of cord or rawhide. Later, Egyptian bed-makers introduced mortise-and-tenon construction and wood bed frames veneered with ivory or ebony, in common use with many examples being found in the 1st dynasty (3100-2890 BC) tombs.
Ancient Greek art depicts gods and goddesses lounging in this type of chair. The modern Greek word "symposion" comes from "sympinein", which means "to drink together. In ancient Greece this word conveyed the idea of a party with music and conversation. The principal item of furniture for a symposium" is the "kline", a form of daybed. The Greeks changed from the normal practice of sitting at a table to the far more distinctive practice of reclining on couches as early as the 8th century BC.
The Romans also used a daybed for reclining in the daytime and to sleep on at night. Developed from the Greek prototype, the Roman daybed was designed with legs carved in wood or cast bronze. The Romans also adapted a chaise longue style chair for the "accubatio" (the act of reclining during a meal). At Roman banquets, the usual number of persons occupying each bed was three, with three daybeds forming three sides of a small square, so that the triclinium (the dining-room of a Roman residence) allowed for a party of nine. The Romans did not practice upholstery, so the couches were made comfortable with pillows, loose covers and animal skins.
