What does apartment mean?
An apartment is a set of rooms forming a complete, self-contained home within a larger building, designed to house a single household and typically occupying one floor. The word is the standard term for this kind of residence in North America, while speakers in Britain and Ireland more often say 'flat'. Apartments range from compact studios combining kitchen, living, and sleeping space into one room, to sprawling multi-bedroom units, and they may be rented from a landlord or owned outright as condominiums. The term also survives in a grander, chiefly British sense: the 'state apartments' of a palace are the ceremonial suites used by royalty. Derived ultimately from Italian and Latin roots meaning 'a part', the word reflects its literal origin — a portion of a larger structure set aside as a dwelling. Today, with urban populations increasingly living in multi-unit buildings, the apartment is one of the most common forms of housing worldwide.
nounA set of rooms forming a self-contained residence within a larger building, typically on one floor and occupied by one household.
- A self-contained residential unit of rooms within a larger building, occupied by one household (the dominant modern sense).
- (Chiefly British, formal) A suite of rooms in a large house or palace, such as the state apartments.
"They rented a sunny two-bedroom apartment overlooking the park."
"She signed a twelve-month lease on a small studio apartment downtown."
"Visitors to the palace were shown through the royal apartments."
The plural usually denotes multiple separate residential units, as in an apartment building; in formal British usage it may refer to several rooms of a single grand residence.
"The developer converted the old warehouse into forty luxury apartments."
The word 'apartment' literally means 'a part' — it comes from the Italian 'appartamento', built on the idea of rooms that are separated parts of a larger building.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of apartment
The word 'apartment' entered English in the early 17th century, borrowed from French 'appartement', which itself derives from Italian 'appartamento'. The underlying root is the Latin verb 'apartire' (to divide), related to 'pars' (part), so the word literally conveys the idea of a separated portion of a larger whole — fittingly, a section of a building set apart as a dwelling. It shares this Latin root with words like 'part', 'partial', 'compartment', and 'department'.
How apartment is actually used
In American English, 'apartment' is the standard term for a rented or owned residential unit; British English typically uses 'flat' instead. In older or formal British usage, 'apartments' can refer to suites of rooms in grand houses or palaces. The plural 'apartments' in American English usually refers to multiple units rather than multiple rooms of one home.
Easily confused with apartment
An apartment is a dwelling for living in, while a compartment is a separate section or division within something such as a train, bag, or box.