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

Besides a Manhattan pied-à-terre, there was a retreat on the French Riviera, a lavish Paris apartment and a condo in Hawaii.

From New York Times

Right now though Mirren is in Hollywood at what she describes as the pied-à-terre that she shares with her filmmaker husband Taylor Hackford when they’re not home at Lake Tahoe, Nev. It’s within walking distance of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, but sometimes deer — and coyotes — show up in the backyard.

From Los Angeles Times

So, instead of putting the austerity of his Navy Yard pied-à-terre on full display, the 40-year-old freshman has a tall chair and two massive softbox lights set up in front of the wood-paneled walls of the luxury building’s communal kitchen.

From Washington Post

When Misra, a London-based architect and interior designer, and her husband, Rajeev Misra, had the opportunity to buy a two-bedroom pied-à-terre in Manhattan about 20 years later, it ended up being on the 38th floor of the Bloomberg Tower on Lexington Avenue.

From Seattle Times

To decorate his Tribeca loft, which serves a dual purpose as his pied-à-terre and New York office, Fulk and his assistants mixed vintage artifacts with a flurry of magnolia leaves, flowers, lights and favorite serving dishes to create a warm, inviting atmosphere with a dash of nostalgia.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

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