sauna en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈsɑː.nə/ (cot-caught-merger)
- sou′nə imitating Finnish pronunciation
- sô′nə
- /ˈsɔː.nə/
- (US) audio
- /ˈsaʊ.nə/ imitating Finnish pronunciation
Etymology
Borrowed from Finnish sauna. Possibly a doublet of stack.
Meanings
-
A room or a house designed for heat sessions.
Of course, it will never get -100 here like it does in Antarctica, but a 300-degree swing was still theoretically possible on a record-cold Minnesota morning–if we got the sauna hot enough.
2019 February 8, Saunatimes Guest Posts, quoting Tyler, “Father and sons take a 280 degree f. sauna, documenting the only “300 Club” in North America”, in SaunaTimes, archived from the original on 29 Sep 2022:The hotel has a sauna in the basement.
As health-conscious Americans have jumped headfirst into saunas, some Europeans have at times also found themselves a little baffled by their fellow steam lovers’ behavior, worried a millennia-old tradition is being warped by American wellness culture.
2026 January 18, Kristy Alpert, “The Europeans Have Some Notes About American Sauna Culture”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 19 Jan 2026:
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The act of using a sauna.
One of my favorite saunas was just one go and thirteen minutes long, including clean up time.
2019 February 8, Saunatimes Guest Posts, quoting Tony, “Father and sons take a 280 degree f. sauna, documenting the only “300 Club” in North America”, in SaunaTimes, archived from the original on 29 Sep 2022:Joanne went for a sauna after her swim.
John had a sauna after his swim.
-
In some countries, a business with bath-like facilities that is actually a brothel or a place for (non-commercial) sexual encounters; a bathhouse or massage parlour.
McPhail ran Maitland's brothels—knocking-shops in Maryhill, Riddrie, Dennistoun, and the more upscale saunas in the West End and city centre.
2022, Liam McIlvanney, The Heretic, page 250:
- (figuratively, informal) A very hot place or room.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| saunas | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
sauna pillow · sauna hat · sauna water · sauna stool · sauna blanket · barrel sauna · cryosauna · saunalike · sauna suit · smoke sauna · malt sauna
Relateds
sweat lodge · bathhouse · steam bath · hammam · sudatorium · sudatory · banya · spa · Turkish bath
Synonyms
Translations (84)
fr sauna (sauna room or house) · izh kyli (sauna room or house) · ro baie de abur (act of using a sauna) · el σάουνα (sauna room or house) · be са́ўна (sauna room or house) · pl sauna (act of using a sauna) · xsv pirtis (sauna room or house) · io stuvo (sauna room or house) · eo saŭno (sauna room or house) · nv táchééh (sauna room or house) · yi שוויצבאָד (sauna room or house) · id sauna (sauna room or house) · he סָאוּנָה (sauna room or house) · io sauno (sauna room or house) · hu szauna (sauna room or house) · ar صُونَة (sauna room or house) · krl kyly (sauna room or house) · sms säu´nn (sauna room or house) · mi umuroa (sauna room or house) · sv sauna (sauna room or house) · cmn 三溫暖 /三温暖 (sauna room or house) · pt sauna (sauna room or house) · da sauna (sauna room or house) · fi saunominen (act of using a sauna) · ru фи́нская ба́ня (sauna room or house) · sh sauna (sauna room or house) · pl sauna (sauna room or house) · is baðstofa (sauna room or house) · ru са́уна (sauna room or house) · grc πυρία (sauna room or house) · no badstue (sauna room or house) · uk ла́зня (sauna room or house) · pt banho de sauna (act of using a sauna) · mrj момоца (sauna room or house) · hi सॉना (sauna room or house) · cs sauna (sauna room or house) · fi sauna (act of using a sauna) · sv bastande (act of using a sauna) · uk са́уна (sauna room or house) · bg са́уна (sauna room or house) · yi שוויץ (sauna room or house) · hy սաունա (sauna room or house) · cmn 桑拿浴 (sauna room or house) · ia sauna (sauna room or house) · de Saunieren (act of using a sauna) · is gufubað (sauna room or house) · ar سَاوْنَا (sauna room or house) · lt sauna (sauna room or house) · vi phòng tắm hơi (sauna room or house) · ca sauna (sauna room or house) · fa سونا (sauna room or house) · et saun (sauna room or house) · tr sauna (sauna room or house) · et saun (act of using a sauna) · sv bastu (sauna room or house) · fo sauna (sauna room or house) · de Sauna (sauna room or house) · ro saună (sauna room or house) · ja サウナ (sauna room or house) · lt pirtis (sauna room or house) · es sauna (sauna room or house) · la sūdātōrium (sauna room or house) · fi sauna (sauna room or house) · mr सॉना (sauna room or house) · lv pirts (sauna room or house) · pl łaźnia (sauna room or house) · is sána (sauna room or house) · ar سَوْنة (sauna room or house) · ltg pierts (sauna room or house) · nl sauna (sauna room or house) · el ατμόλουτρο (act of using a sauna) · cmn 桑拿 (sauna room or house) · it sauna (sauna room or house) · ka საუნა (sauna room or house) · th ซาวน่า (sauna room or house) · ko 사우나 (sauna room or house) · et saunatamine (act of using a sauna) · sv bastubadande (act of using a sauna) · sk sauna (sauna room or house) · ar سَوْنَا (sauna room or house) · el ατμόλουτρο (sauna room or house) · gl sauna (sauna room or house) · is eimbað (sauna room or house) · izh sauna (sauna room or house)