What does terrace mean?
A terrace is chiefly a raised, level outdoor platform adjoining a house or other building, though the word can also refer to one of a series of steps formed across a slope. Such terraces may provide space for dining, sitting, gardening, or views. In architecture and housing, “terrace” can denote a row of joined houses sharing a continuous frontage. Physical geography uses it for an elevated, relatively level strip of land beside a river or along another landform. The verb “to terrace” means to shape sloping ground into level steps, a practice used in farming and hillside landscaping. British English commonly uses the word for an attached outdoor platform, whereas patio is often preferred in American English for the same domestic feature. The term is therefore both architectural and geographical, connecting buildings and cultivated land with the older idea of level ground rising above its surroundings.
A raised, level platform adjoining a building; one of a series of levels cut into sloping ground; a row of joined houses; or an elevated strip of land beside a river or similar feature.
"The hotel has a terrace overlooking the harbor."
For an outdoor area attached to a building, British English commonly favors terrace, while US speakers often use patio.
To form sloping ground into a series of level steps or platforms.
"Gardeners terraced the steep hillside with stone walls."
This use is especially associated with landscaping, agriculture, and the shaping of steep land.
Use the plural for multiple platforms, rows, or levels of land.
"The valley contains several natural terraces."
A terrace is, quite literally, a piece of the earth: its name descends through French and Italian to Latin terra, meaning “earth.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does terrace come from?
The noun entered English from French terrace, which was borrowed from Italian terrazza, an earthen platform derived from terra, “earth.” The verb also reflects French terracer, meaning to form something into terraces. Its relatives include terrain and terrestrial, which descend through the same Latin root terra.
Related word forms
How terrace is actually used
The noun is standard in British English for a paved outdoor area attached to a building, while US speakers may more often say patio. The verb is comparatively uncommon in everyday conversation but is established in gardening, landscaping, agriculture, and physical geography.
Easily confused with terrace
A terrace is a constructed or naturally elevated level surface, whereas terrain means a stretch of land considered in terms of its physical features.