Penthouses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A luxurious apartment on the highest floor of a building, often featuring expansive views and upscale amenities
2. An exclusive unit located at the top level of a high-rise, typically offering premium space and elegant features
3. A top-floor residence characterized by spacious layouts and high-end finishes, often with access to private outdoor areas

Etymology: The word "penthouse" looks like a plain compound of "pent" and "house," but the "house" part is a folk-etymological disguise. It descends from Anglo-Norman "pentiz" ("pentice"), which came from "apendiz" ("appentice"), itself rooted in a suffixed form of Latin "appendere" ("to append"). The original sense was a structure attached to, or leaning against, the side of a main building, a kind of lean-to or outbuilding hanging off the wall. Over time, speakers reshaped the unfamiliar word into something that seemed to mean "house on top," and that reinterpretation stuck. The sense migrated upward: a shed once tacked onto the side of a building came to describe the rooftop-level suite of a skyscraper. Today the word "penthouses" is simply the plural of that luxury sense.

Synonyms: lofts, apartments