terrace

[ ter-uhs ]

noun

1. a raised level with a vertical or sloping front or sides faced with masonry, turf, or the like, especially one of a series of levels rising one above another.
2. the top of such a construction, used as a platform, garden, road, etc.
3. a nearly level strip of land with a more or less abrupt descent along the margin of the sea, a lake, or a river.
4. the flat roof of a house.
5. an open, often paved area connected to a house or an apartment house and serving as an outdoor living area; deck.
6. an open platform, as projecting from the outside wall of an apartment; a large balcony.
7. a row of houses on or near the top of a slope.
8. a residential street following the top of a slope.

verb (used with or without object)

, ter·raced, ter·rac·ing.

1. to form into or furnish with a terrace or terraces.

terrace

/ ˈtɛrəs /

noun

1. a horizontal flat area of ground, often one of a series in a slope
2. 1. a row of houses, usually identical and having common dividing walls, or the street onto which they face
   2. ( cap when part of a street name )

      Grosvenor Terrace

3. a paved area alongside a building, serving partly as a garden
4. a balcony or patio
5. the flat roof of a house built in a Spanish or Oriental style
6. a flat area bounded by a short steep slope formed by the down-cutting of a river or by erosion
7. usually plural
   1. unroofed tiers around a football pitch on which the spectators stand
   2. the spectators themselves

verb

1. tr to make into or provide with a terrace or terraces

Derived Forms

• ˈterraceless, adjective

Other Words From

• terrace·less adjective
• un·terraced adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of terrace¹

1505–15; earlier terrasse < Middle French < Old Provençal terrassa < Vulgar Latin *terrācea, feminine of *terrāceus. See terra, -aceous

Word History and Origins

Origin of terrace¹

C16: from Old French terrasse, from Old Provençal terrassa pile of earth, from terra earth, from Latin

Example Sentences

During the course of the Nakba, the removal of Palestinians from their lands was accompanied by the renaming of sites and often by planting trees on the sites of villages, terraced fields and olive groves.

From Salon

It is believed changes include replacing seating in some areas of the ground with terracing, reducing press facilities and altering the hospitality layout as well as the plans for WiFi infrastructure.

From BBC

Then, the team calculated the reduction in heating costs you would expect after applying each of these paints to the interior of a typical Victorian terraced house.

From BBC

The abhorrent racial abuse that Anderson faced from the terraces in the 1970s is very well documented.

From BBC

Deep in the bar, sitting on the terraced area overlooking the lower floor and watching the game on a massive screen, is Andrew Kramer, 54, who hails from Long Island’s Lynbrook.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• balcony
• deck
• gallery
• patio
• platform
• porch
• promenade
• roof