I. ˈter-əs, ˈte-rəs noun
Etymology: Middle French, platform, terrace, from Old French, from Old Occitan terrassa, from terra earth, from Latin, earth, land; akin to Latin torrēre to parch — more at thirst
Date: 1515
1.
a. : a colonnaded porch or promenade
b. : a flat roof or open platform
c. : a relatively level paved or planted area adjoining a building
2.
a. : a raised embankment with the top leveled
b. : one of usually a series of horizontal ridges made in a hillside to increase cultivatable land, conserve moisture, or minimize erosion
3. : a level ordinarily narrow plain usually with steep front bordering a river, lake, or sea ; also : a similar undersea feature
4.
a. : a row of houses or apartments on raised ground or a sloping site
b. : a group of row houses
c. : a strip of park in the middle of a street often planted with trees or shrubs
d. : street
5. : a section of a British soccer stadium set aside for standing spectators
II. transitive verb
( ter·raced ; ter·rac·ing )
Date: 1650
1. : to provide (as a building or hillside) with a terrace
2. : to make into a terrace