'Salon' traces to Germanic *sal (hall) — the same root as 'saloon' and even 'Valhalla.'
An establishment where a hairdresser or beautician works; also, a reception room in a large house, or a regular gathering of writers and intellectuals.
From French 'salon' (large room, drawing room), from Italian 'salone' (large hall), augmentative of 'sala' (hall, large room), from Lombard or Frankish *sal (hall, house), from Proto-Germanic *salą (dwelling, hall). The same Germanic root gave English 'hall' (via Old English 'heall') and is preserved in the Norse 'Valhalla' (hall of the slain — 'val' meaning slain warriors + 'höll' meaning hall). The intellectual 'salon' tradition began in 17th-century Parisian drawing rooms, particularly those hosted by aristocratic women. These gatherings became the engine