penthouse

American  

[pent-hous] / ˈpɛntˌhaʊs /

noun

plural

penthouses

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 pentice.  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.

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penthouse British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• penthouselike adjective

Etymology

Origin of penthouse

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

Example Sentences

In 32 pages of PowerPoint slides, replete with images of coastal high-rises alongside charts and cost tables, the plan outlines steps to take Gaza residents from tents to penthouses and from poverty to prosperity.

From The Wall Street Journal

Corcoran originally put the palatial penthouse on the market in May, with reports later revealing that she had secured a buyer for the property within just one day of listing it.

From MarketWatch

A top executive of a food company used to hosting lavish parties in his central London penthouse, it was feeling unhappy about his appearance that compelled him to act.

From BBC

The billionaire actually owns $80 million worth of units in the same Manhattan building, including a three-story penthouse and two apartments on the level right below it.

From MarketWatch

According to the listing, the home is a “one-of-a-kind trophy penthouse” that has been “masterfully reimagined.”

From MarketWatch

Related Words

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