Meaning and Origin
What does the name Terrace mean? Keep reading to find the user submitted meanings, dictionary definitions, and more.
Origin and Meaning of Terrace
User Submitted Origins
English
70%
Scottish
20%
Latin
10%
International Interest
Also see international interest
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
noun Ter"race
Senses
- A raised level space, shelf, or platform of earth, supported on one or more sides by a wall, a bank of tuft, or the like, whether designed for use or pleasure.
- A balcony, especially a large and uncovered one.
- A flat roof to a house; as, the buildings of the Oriental nations are covered with terraces .
- A street, or a row of houses, on a bank or the side of a hill; hence, any street, or row of houses.
- [Geol] A level plain, usually with a steep front, bordering a river, a lake, or sometimes the sea.
Note: ☞ Many rivers are bordered by a series of terraces at different levels, indicating the flood plains at successive periods in their history.
Etymology: F. terrassecf. Sp. terraza, It. terrazza), fr. L. terra the earth, probably for tersa, originally meaning, dry land, and akin to torrere to parch, E. torrid, and thirst. See Thirst, and cf. Fumitory Inter (v.) Patterre Terrier Trass Tureen Turmeric
verb Ter"race
To form into a terrace or terraces; to furnish with a terrace or terraces, as, to terrace a garden, or a building.
Other Dictionary Sources
- Usually paved outdoor area adjoining a residence
- A row of houses built in a similar style and having common dividing walls (or the street on which they face) ("Grosvenor Terrace")
- A level shelf of land interrupting a declivity (with steep slopes above and below)
- Make into terraces as for cultivation ("The Incas terraced their mountainous land")
- Provide (a house) with a terrace