pied-à-terre

[ pee-ey-duh-tair, -dah-, pyey- ]

noun

, plural pieds-à-terre [pee-ey-d, uh, -, tair, -dah-, pyey-],

1. a residence, as an apartment, for part-time or temporary use.

pied-à-terre

/ ˌpjeɪtɑːˈtɛə /

noun

1. a flat, house, or other lodging for secondary or occasional use

Word History and Origins

Origin of pied-à-terre¹

1820–30; < French: literally, foot on ground

Word History and Origins

Origin of pied-à-terre¹

French, literally: foot on (the) ground

Example Sentences

This place, we speculated, must have been purchased as a kind of apocalyptic pied-a-terre: somewhere he could base himself, maybe, while whatever construction he had planned for the sheep station was underway.

From The Guardian

But unless he decides to hang the work in a Manhattan pied-a-terre, or ships it using the wrong type of carrier, the city won’t get any taxes.

From Seattle Times

Consider a pied-a-terre tax for those that have multiple properties laying empty and not being rented or subletted to people who are actively contributing to the fabric of city life.

From New York Times

Others work downtown and were tired of commuting and some wanted a downtown pied-a-terre.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr. Liu travels to New York frequently and will use the apartment as a pied-a-terre for himself and his family, Mr. Hu said.

From Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• apartment
• box
• building
• condo
• condominium
• dwelling
• home
• mansion
• residence
• shack