terrace

terrace [ter′əs]

n.

[OFr, walled platform, orig., mound of earth < It terrazzo < terra < L, TERRA]

1.

a) a raised, flat mound of earth with sloping sides

b) any of a series of flat platforms of earth with sloping sides, rising one above the other, as on a hillside

c) a geologic formation of this nature

2. an unroofed, paved area, immediately adjacent to a house, etc. and usually overlooking a lawn or garden

3.

a) a gallery, portico, or colonnade

b) a usually spacious veranda; piazza

4. a small, usually roofed balcony, as outside an apartment

5. a flat roof, esp. of a house of Spanish or Middle Eastern architecture

6.

a) a line of houses, esp. of row houses, on ground raised from the street

b) a street in front of such houses: often used in street names

☆ 7. a parklike strip in the middle of a boulevard, etc.

vt.

terraced, terracing

to form into, lay out in, or surround with a terrace or terraces