What does attic mean?
An attic is the space or room found directly beneath the roof of a house, usually reached by a ladder or staircase and most often used to store items that are not needed day to day. Because attics sit at the very top of a building, they tend to be small, sometimes unfinished, and prone to extremes of heat and cold, which has given them a cultural reputation as dusty, cobwebbed repositories of forgotten heirlooms, old suitcases, and family secrets. In literature and film, the attic frequently serves as a place of mystery or discovery, where hidden letters and long-buried objects come to light. In British English the equivalent space is often called a loft, and a converted attic can become a bedroom, study, or studio. The word itself carries no negative connotation, though adjectives such as 'musty' or 'cluttered' are commonly paired with it.
nounA space or room directly under the roof of a building, typically used for storage.
- A space or room immediately below the roof of a house, used especially for storage.
"They found a box of old photographs while clearing out the attic."
"The old trunk had been sitting in the attic for decades before anyone opened it."
"She converted the drafty attic into a bright little writing room."
Regular plural, formed by adding -s.
"Many of the older houses on the street have spacious attics."
The humble attic owes its name to Athens: architects called the decorative top storey of a building an 'attic' because it echoed the small upper rooms of ancient Greek houses in Attica.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of attic
The word 'attic' entered English in the mid-18th century as a term from classical architecture, borrowed from French 'attique', meaning a small decorative storey placed above a building's main façade. That architectural use derived from the Greek 'Attikos', meaning 'of Attica', the region surrounding Athens, whose small upper rooms the feature was thought to resemble. Over time the architectural term broadened in everyday speech to mean simply the roomy space under a roof, which is the dominant modern sense.
How attic is actually used
In British English, 'loft' is often preferred for the same space, though 'attic' is widely understood. 'Garret' is a literary or dated synonym implying a poor artist's or writer's cramped top-floor room. The capitalized form 'Attic' is an unrelated adjective meaning 'relating to Attica or Athens'.