penthouse

[pent-hous]

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noun, plural pent·hous·es [pent-hou-ziz] /ˈpɛntˌhaʊ zɪz/.

an apartment or dwelling on the roof of a building, usually set back from the outer walls.

any specially designed apartment on an upper floor, especially the top floor, of a building.

a structure on a roof for housing elevator machinery, a water tank, etc.

Also called pent, pen·tice

[pen-tis] /ˈpɛn tɪs/. 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.

any rooflike shelter or overhanging part.

shed roof.

Court Tennis. a corridor having a slanted roof and projecting from three walls of the court.

Origin of penthouse

1520–30; alteration (by folk etymology) of Middle English pentis < Old French apentiz, equivalent to apent past participle of apendre to hang against (see appendant) + -iz (French -is) < Vulgar Latin *-ātīcium, noun use of neuter of *-ātīcius, equivalent to Latin -āt(us) -ate¹ + -īcius adj. suffix

Related formspent·house·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for penthouse

hut, shack, shanty, flat, residence, cave, suite, accommodation, condo, brood, addition, shed, coop, cooperative, dump, pad, den, lodging, rental, walk-up

Examples from the Web for penthouse

Contemporary Examples of penthouse

Then I was the December Penthouse Pet, which is a huge honor.
Porn Stars on the Year in Porn: Drone Erotica, Belle Knox, and Wild Sex
Aurora Snow
December 27, 2014
He's starting to sound like a schoolboy with a copy of Penthouse.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
Loeb owns a $100 million penthouse on Central Park West and a $50 million yacht.
Hunger Games Comes to New York State’s Public Schools
Zephyr Teachout
November 26, 2014
I was literally on the 18th floor in a penthouse suite and I really thought about ending it.
Exclusive: Michael Phelps’s Intersex Self-Proclaimed Girlfriend, Taylor Lianne Chandler, Tells All
Aurora Snow
November 26, 2014
Either way, this is a conversation that is occurring not just at the penthouse level, but among the grassroots as well.
Rand Paul, Chris Christie Laid Out Plans for Black Voters at Penthouse Forum
David Freedlander
October 17, 2014

Historical Examples of penthouse

It is the diminutive of pluteus, a shed or penthouse, from its conical cap.
The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise
M. E. Hard
The car whisked them up to the penthouse which topped it, and they landed on the terrace.
Medal of Honor
Dallas McCord Reynolds
Nicholas was watching him from under the penthouse of his eyebrows.
Antony Gray,--Gardener
Leslie Moore
This formed a species of penthouse, which they placed in the moat.
The Usurper
Judith Gautier
The arrows aimed at them rebounded from the roof of the penthouse.
The Usurper
Judith Gautier

British Dictionary definitions for penthouse

penthouse

noun

a flat or maisonette built onto the top floor or roof of a block of flats

a construction on the roof of a building, esp one used to house machinery

a shed built against a building, esp one that has a sloping roof

real tennis the roofed corridor that runs along three sides of the court

Word Origin for penthouse

C14 pentis (later penthouse, by folk etymology), from Old French apentis, from Late Latin appendicium appendage, from Latin appendere to hang from; see appendix

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for penthouse

pendize, early 14c., from Anglo-French pentiz, a shortening of Old French apentis "attached building, appendage," from Medieval Latin appendicium, from Latin appendere "to hang" (see append). Modern spelling is from c.1530, by folk etymology influence of Middle French pente "slope," and English house (the meaning at that time was "attached building with a sloping roof or awning"). Originally a simple structure (Middle English homilies describe Jesus' birthplace in the manger as a "penthouse"); meaning "apartment or small house built on the roof of a skyscraper" first recorded 1921, from which time dates its association with luxury.