penthouse

penthouse
penthouselike, adj.
/pent"hows'/, n., pl. penthouses /-how'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, esp. the top floor, of a building.
3. a structure on a roof for housing elevator machinery, a water tank, etc.
4. Also called pent, pentice /pen"tis/. 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. See shed roof.
7. Court Tennis. a corridor having a slanted roof and projecting from three walls of the court.
[1520-30; alter. (by folk etymology) of ME pentis < OF apentiz, equiv. to apent ptp. of apendre to hang against (see APPENDANT) + -iz (F -is) < VL *-aticium, n. use of neut. of *-aticius, equiv. to L -at(us) -ATE1 + -icius adj. suffix]

* * *

Enclosed area on top of a building.

A penthouse can be an apartment on the roof or top floor of a building or a structure on the roof housing the top of an elevator shaft, air-conditioning equipment, or stairs leading to the roof. A penthouse is usually set back from the vertical face of a building, but as a real-estate term, penthouse may refer to any top floor, regardless of setbacks. Though the word now often suggests a luxurious apartment with a panoramic view, historically a penthouse was a lean-to, shed, or other small structure attached to a comparatively large building.

* * *

      enclosed area on top of a building. Such a structure may house the top of an elevator shaft, air-conditioning equipment, or the stairs leading to the roof; it can also provide living or working accommodations. Usually a penthouse is set back from the vertical face of a building, thus providing open spaces or terraces on one or more sides; but in recent practice architects and rental agents have referred to the top floor of any building, regardless of setbacks, as a penthouse.

      Although the word now denotes a luxurious and expensive apartment, commanding a panoramic view, historically a penthouse was a mere lean-to, or shed, or other small structure attached to a comparatively large building. In medieval times a penthouse, or pentice, was important in siege craft, being the temporary structure that protected besieging forces as they prepared for an attack on the enemy.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Penthouse — Penthouse …   Deutsch Wörterbuch

  • Penthouse — mit Schwimmbecken, New York City …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Penthouse — Келли Хэйвел на обложке Penthouse за июнь 1998 года Специализация …   Википедия

  • Penthouse — may refer to:* Penthouse (magazine), a men s magazine *Penthouse apartment, a special apartment on the top floor of a building * Penthouse (film), a 1933 film starring Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy * Penthouse (album), an album by LunaPenthouse… …   Wikipedia

  • Penthouse 5-0 — Titre original Penthouse 5 0 Genre Comédie Production Sphère Média Plus Pays d’origine  Canada Ch …   Wikipédia en Français

  • penthouse — [ pɛntaus ] n. m. • 1947; mot angl. ♦ Anglic. En Amérique du Nord, Appartement luxueux édifié sur le toit d un immeuble. penthouse [pɛntaws] n. m. ÉTYM. 1974; mot anglo amér. (1921), extension de sens de l angl. penthouse (fin XIVe), de house «… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Penthouse — (auch Penthaus) Penthouse Sn exklusive Wohnung auf dem Flachdach eines Hauses per. Wortschatz fach. (20. Jh.) Entlehnung. Entlehnt aus ne. penthouse, dieses aus me. pentis kleiner Anbau , aus afrz. apentis Anhang , aus l. appendicium, zu l.… …   Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen sprache

  • Penthouse — (Тбилиси,Грузия) Категория отеля: Адрес: Metekhi Street 12, 0103 Тбилиси, Грузия …   Каталог отелей

  • Penthouse 1 — (Кэрнс,Австралия) Категория отеля: Адрес: 761/12 Gregory Street, 4870 Кэрнс, Австралия …   Каталог отелей

  • Penthouse — Pent house , a. Leaning; overhanging. Penthouse lid. Shak. My penthouse eyebrows. Dryden. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Penthouse — Pent house , n. [A corruption of pentice.] A shed or roof sloping from the main wall or building, as over a door or window; a lean to. Also figuratively. The penthouse of his eyes. Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster] [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”