pied-à-terre

American  

[pee-ey-duh-tair, -dah-, pyey-] / piˌeɪ dəˈtɛər, -dɑ-, ˌpyeɪ- /

noun

plural

pieds-à-terre

1. a residence, as an apartment, for part-time or temporary use.

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pied-à-terre British  

/ ˌpjeɪtɑːˈtɛə /

noun

1. a flat, house, or other lodging for secondary or occasional use

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Etymology

Origin of pied-à-terre

1820–30; < French: literally, foot on ground

Example Sentences

For all his flashy possessions—a storied Bel-Air estate known as Casa Encantada, a Malibu beach house, a New York pied-à-terre and an enviable art collection—he was severely strapped for cash and deeply in debt.

From The Wall Street Journal

Around the same time they bought the Bel-Air mansion, the Winnicks purchased a two-bedroom pied-à-terre at the iconic Sherry-Netherland Hotel in New York City, and hired star architect Charles Gwathmey to completely revamp it.

From The Wall Street Journal

The couple split their time between their Bel-Air estate, their New York pied-à-terre and a seven-bedroom, circa-1930s beach house they owned in Malibu.

From The Wall Street Journal

His impressive property portfolio also includes an extraordinary dwelling in Washington, DC, which he purchased for $23 million in 2017, as well as a huge pied-à-terre in New York City that he bought for $16 million in 2020.

From MarketWatch

Projection designers Yee Eun Nam and Elizabeth Barrett create a kaleidoscopic background on Chika Shimizu’s pied-à-terre set.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• apartment
• box
• building
• condo
• condominium
• dwelling
• home
• mansion
• residence
• shack