semisubterranean

American  

[sem-ee-suhb-tuh-rey-nee-uhn, sem-ahy-] / ˌsɛm iˌsʌb təˈreɪ ni ən, ˌsɛm aɪ- /

adjective

1. half below the surface of the ground.

   the semisubterranean houses of some Indian tribes.

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Etymology

Origin of semisubterranean

semi- + subterranean

Example Sentences

Later, their semisubterranean homes were spread widely over the Mesa Verde.

From Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado by United States. Dept. of the Interior

Houses on exposed elevations he found to be still semisubterranean.

From The Best of the World's Classics, Restricted to prose. Volume I (of X) - Greece by Halsey, Francis W. (Francis Whiting)

The houses were all of the semisubterranean, circular type discussed previously.

From Francis Drake and the California Indians, 1579 by Heizer, Robert F.

It would also apparently explain the occurrence of the circular semisubterranean kí wi tsi we, or estufas.

From A Study of Pueblo Pottery as Illustrative of Zuñi Culture Growth. Fourth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1882-83, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1886, pages 467-522 by Cushing, Frank Hamilton

The circular semisubterranean house, roofed over with poles and earth-covered, is also characteristic of a wide area of central California.

From Francis Drake and the California Indians, 1579 by Heizer, Robert F.