penthouse

[ pent-hous ]

noun

, plural pent·hous·es [pent, -hou-ziz].

1. an apartment or dwelling on the roof of a building, usually set back from the outer walls.
2. any specially designed apartment on an upper floor, especially the top floor, of a building.
3. a structure on a roof for housing elevator machinery, a water tank, etc.
4. Also called pent, a shed with a sloping roof, or a sloping roof, projecting from a wall or the side of a building, as to shelter a door.
5. any rooflike shelter or overhanging part.
6. shed roof.
7. Court Tennis. a corridor having a slanted roof and projecting from three walls of the court.

penthouse

/ ˈpɛntˌhaʊs /

noun

1. a flat or maisonette built onto the top floor or roof of a block of flats
2. a construction on the roof of a building, esp one used to house machinery
3. a shed built against a building, esp one that has a sloping roof
4. real tennis the roofed corridor that runs along three sides of the court

Other Words From

• penthouselike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of penthouse¹

First recorded in 1520–30; alteration (by folk etymology) of Middle English pentis, from Old French apentiz, equivalent to apent, past participle of apendre “to hang against” + -iz ( French -is ), from unattested Vulgar Latin -ātīcium, noun use of neuter of unattested -ātīcius, equivalent to Latin -āt(us) past participle suffix + -īcius adjective suffix; appendant, -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of penthouse¹

C14 pentis (later penthouse, by folk etymology), from Old French apentis, from Late Latin appendicium appendage, from Latin appendere to hang from; see appendix

Example Sentences

Residents of Champlain Towers South were looking at a $15 million assessment to repair “major structural damage” flagged by engineers, with owners being asked to pay between roughly $80,000 for one-bedroom units to $336,000 for the penthouse.

From Time

Twice he rode the elevator to the penthouse level and walked through an unlocked door to the roof.

From Washington Post

When part of the tower fell last week, much of the penthouse apartment went with it.

From Washington Post

Some of my best memories are practices with my fellow Muses in the penthouse of McCormick with the afternoon sun filtering in.

From MIT Technology Review

In fact, he’s a record producer and label owner rich enough to own a cavernous penthouse whose rooftop pool offers a breathtaking skyline view.

From Time

Then I was the December Penthouse Pet, which is a huge honor.

From The Daily Beast

He's starting to sound like a schoolboy with a copy of Penthouse.

From The Daily Beast

Loeb owns a $100 million penthouse on Central Park West and a $50 million yacht.

From The Daily Beast

I was literally on the 18th floor in a penthouse suite and I really thought about ending it.

From The Daily Beast

She flew first class, stayed in a luxury penthouse suite and was given money for shopping along with her pay.

From The Daily Beast

It appeared to consist of a living-room and a scullery, with a patch under the skeleton of a sort of penthouse at the back.

From Project Gutenberg

Over the penthouse thus formed a piece of gauze is placed, and the cage is complete.

From Project Gutenberg

The penthouse, in fact, represented the principal part of its attire, there was nothing else but a little red petticoat.

From Project Gutenberg

In its middle there arose a penthouse, low and irregularly shaped like some organic outcropping of native rock.

From Project Gutenberg

He lies buried—in my name—within the walls of Penthouse Prison.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• co-op
• condo
• condominium
• cooperative
• flat
• suite