Triplex

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. A type of dwelling that contains three individual residential spaces within it An architectural form characterized by three separate living areas that may share common walls A designation for any layout organized into three distinct parts or levels
2. A residential structure divided into three separate units designed for occupancy ; composed of three segments or levels arranged in a layered or grouped manner
3. A building that houses three living spaces often stacked or side by side ; constructed with three distinct sections forming a unified whole

Etymology: Triplex comes straight from Latin, where "triplex" meant "threefold" or "triple," built from "tri-" (three) and a second element related to "-plex" (folded, as in "duplex"). In English the adjective has long described things with three parts, and the noun for a three-unit residential building is a later extension of that sense: a block of three flats or houses sharing a structure, the way "duplex" names a two-unit home. The shared pattern with "duplex" is the clearest guide to the word's logic. Both carry the idea of multiplying a single unit by the number in the prefix, so a triplex is simply a building that has been "tripled" into separate dwellings. The same Latin stem also produced "complex," where "com-" (together) joins the "-plex" element, showing how one ancient fold-and-multiply idea spread across ordinary English vocabulary.

Synonyms: threefold, triple