I. ˈterə̇s noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle French terrasse, terrace pile of earth, platform, terrace, from Old Provençal terrassa, from terra earth, from Latin, earth, land, country; akin to Old Irish tīr territory, tīr dry, Latin torrēre to dry, parch — more at thirst
1.
a. : a colonnaded porch or promenade : gallery , portico
shops in arcade and along a covered terrace — Architectural Review
b. : a flat roof or open platform : balcony , deck
the dining terrace looks out upon the tumbling, rushing waters — Ford Times
c. : a relatively level paved or planted area adjoining a building and in formal settings often surrounded by a balustrade
the court side … shelters a formal English terrace and garden — American Guide Series: Michigan
2.
a. : a raised embankment with the top leveled for walking
b. : a horizontal or gently sloping ridge or offset made in a hillside to conserve moisture or to minimize erosion
built his terraces with a moldboard plow; uses them as guides for his contour rows — Farm Journal
— compare step terrace
c. : something that resembles a terrace
the pyramid … had five terraces — E.H.Short
stood on a status terrace with some below and others above him — John Dollard
3.
a. : a level and ordinarily rather narrow plain usually with a steep front bordering a river, a lake, or the sea : a topographic bench — compare alluvial terrace , kame terrace , marine terrace , rock terrace , stream terrace
b. : structural terrace
4.
a. : a row of houses or apartments situated on raised ground or a sloping site
b. : a group of row houses
street after street exactly alike, lined with … terraces — Talbot Hamlin
c. : median strip
d. : street
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
1. : to make into a terrace or supply with terraces
farms long ago terraced by the Inca Indians — Russell Lord
planted and terraced the … estate — Alva Johnston
2. : to provide (a building) with a terrace ; especially : to design (a structure) with offsets
intransitive verb
: to occupy a terrace
olive trees terracing in steps dug out of rock — Richard Llewellyn
III. adjective
1. : of or relating to a terrace
terrace roof
terrace farmer
depositional terrace plains — H.N.Fisk
2. : having or forming a terrace
terrace apartment
IV.
variant of trass