Maisonette

Maisonette

Noun · /ˌmeɪ.zəˈnɛt/

Definition

(British) a flat on two floors of a larger building, with its own separate entrance, typically accessed from a shared hallway or directly from the street; a small house or cottage.

Origin

From French maisonette, a diminutive of maison (house), from Latin mansio (dwelling, staying place), from manere (to remain, to stay). The French diminutive -ette indicates a small or reduced version of the noun. Maisonette thus means a little house. The word entered British English in the 19th century for a small house and then developed the specific British architectural sense of a two-floor flat with separate access.