 All the European names for these devices ultimately derive from the root "sed-", as in Latin "sedere", "to sit," which gave rise to "seda" ("seat") and its diminutive "sedula" ("little seat"), the latter of which was contracted to "sella", the traditional Classical Latin name for a chair, including a carried chair.In Europe this mode of transportation met with instant success.Henry VIII of England (reigned 1509-1547) was carried around in a sedan chair—it took four strong chairmen to carry him towards the end of his life—but the expression "sedan chair" did not appear in print until 1615.