mezzanine

[mez-uh-neen, mez-uh-neen]

noun

1. the lowest balcony or forward part of such a balcony in a theater.

2. a low story between two other stories of greater height in a building, especially when the low story and the one beneath it form part of one composition; an entresol.

mezzanine

/ ˈmɛtsəˌniːn, ˈmɛzəˌniːn /

noun

1. Also called: mezzanine floor.  entresol. an intermediate storey, esp a low one between the ground and first floor of a building

2. theatre the first balcony

3. theatre a room or floor beneath the stage

adjective

1. Often shortened to: mezz. of or relating to an intermediate stage in a financial process

   mezzanine funding

Word History and Origins

Origin of mezzanine¹

1705–15; < French < Italian mezzanino, equivalent to mezzan ( o ) middle (< Latin mediānus median ) + -ino diminutive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of mezzanine¹

C18: from French, from Italian, diminutive of mezzano middle, from Latin mediānus _median

Example Sentences

“It’s like saying, ‘I’m going to go to Dodger Stadium, grab someone from the third row of the mezzanine section, and they can play the violin at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.’

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Concerns were previously raised that the installation of a mezzanine floor could damage the fabric of the building and erode evidence of the its original layout.

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Atop a wooden mezzanine, a rattan back desk sits among chestnut-colored dining chairs.

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The results prepare the ground for a boggling encounter upstairs on the museum’s mezzanine — an astonishingly plain installation of three mirrored walls.

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United Way of Greater Los Angeles, which was raising capital for affordable housing, filled the gap with a $4.5-million second, or mezzanine, loan.

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Related Words

• balcony