attic

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noun at·tic \ ˈa-tik \

Definition of attic

1 :a low story or wall above the main order of a facade in the classical styles

2 :a room behind an attic

3 :a room or a space immediately below the roof of a building :garret

4 :something resembling an attic (as in being used for storage)

See attic defined for English-language learners

See attic defined for kids

Examples of attic in a Sentence

rented the attic out to a college student

Recent Examples of attic from the Web

The 16 New Jersey volunteers are highly skilled in swift-water rescues — such as freeing people trapped in cars — but could also use that expertise to help in going home-to-home and rescuing those trapped in attics and other areas, Connolly said.

— erin mccarthy, Philly.com, "Pa., N.J. volunteers mobilize for Harvey relief in Texas," 28 Aug. 2017
Authorities had to perform numerous water rescues overnight as residents became trapped in stalled cars or in the attics of their homes after encountering rising floodwaters.

— chas danner and benjamin hart, Daily Intelligencer, "Catastrophic Flooding Swamps Houston as Harvey Stalls Over Texas," 27 Aug. 2017
Firefighters entered and extinguished the fire, containing it to the attic.

— darcy costello, The Courier-Journal, "Lightning strike starts apartment building fire Wednesday," 2 Aug. 2017
He was removed from the attic and taken in to custody.

— carol robinson, AL.com, "Man sought on elder abuse charge nabbed by deputies in Jeffco attic," 31 July 2017
Staff quarters occupied most of the basement and attic.

— james tarmy, Bloomberg.com, "Live in a Piece of History at This $16 Million San Francisco Mansion," 25 July 2017
The roof was ventilated to extinguish the fire in the attic, a process that took about 15 minutes, the release said.

— staff report, Naperville Sun, "House fire 'storm-related,' Naperville Fire Department says," 22 July 2017
Romania was an ally of the Nazis until 1944, and historians believe there may be more Enigmas lying undiscovered in attics there.

— linda hervieux, Fox News, "Nazi code machine bought at flea market sells for $51G," 13 July 2017
Heat rises, and the attic is the hottest part of the home, which means the air conditioner tries to cool it down.

— Cincinnati.com, "Column: Summer weatherization to keep you cool," 30 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'attic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of attic

French attique, from attique of Attica, from Latin Atticus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1696

See Words from the same year

attic Synonyms

Synonyms

cockloft, garret, loft

Related Words

hayloft

Other Architecture Terms

buttress, casita, cornice, fanlight, garret, lintel, parapet, pilaster, plinth

Attic

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adjective At·tic \ ˈa-tik \

Definition of Attic

1 :of, relating to, or having the characteristics of Athens or its ancient civilization

2 :marked by simplicity, purity, and refinement

an Attic prose style

See Attic defined for kids

Recent Examples of attic from the Web

The building has three wings that form a C-shape, and all of the wings suffered damage to the top floor, the attic spaces and the roof.

— faiz siddiqui, Washington Post, "Body discovered at site of massive apartment blaze in Northwest," 25 June 2017
Farrell said the fire was mostly contained to the attic area.

— carol robinson, AL.com, "Contractor seriously injured in fire at Vestavia Hills home," 13 June 2017
More features include a central vacuum, epoxy floors in the garage, walk-out attic space upstairs, re-circulating water heater and name-brand ice machine.

— star-telegram, star-telegram.com, "Ebby Halliday Realtors |Trophy Club," 11 June 2017
The LHS will also host its third Treasures in the Attic appraisal event on Sunday, June 11 at 1 p.m. at the Greenview Drive Cabana Room, 14403 Greenview Drive.

— mary schneidau sullivan, Laurel Leader, "Post 60 concert benefits Fourth of July Committee [Old Town Laurel]," 7 June 2017
An attic fire broke out at a two-story townhome in Huntington Beach on Monday night, authorities said.

— anthony mendoza, Orange County Register, "Fire breaks out in attic of Huntington Beach home," 5 June 2017
Rostov, an unshakable man of knowledge and insight, has never worked a day in his life, and must reside in an attic space while some of the most explosive decades in Russia's history transpire right outside the hotel's doors.

— steve davenport, cleveland.com, "Wall Street director of research turned best-selling author Amor Towles to visit Library: Community Voices," 30 May 2017
Both are hoping the Light in the Attic release spurs an interest in their music, old and new.

— dylan owens, The Know, "Light in the Attic dusts off Tumbleweed Records, a Denver label lost to time," 12 May 2017
Hemphill also pointed out unique features added by the previous owner, such as an attractive cypress door that grants attic access via the kitchen.

— kara martinez bachman, NOLA.com, "An early 1900s Mandeville cottage gets a light, bright makeover: House of the Week," 11 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'Attic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of attic

Latin Atticus of Attica, from Greek Attikos, from Attikē Attica, Greece

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1577

See Words from the same year

Other Archaeology Terms

Byzantine, Paleolithic, cairn, core, flint, horizon, neolithic, shard, stratum

Attic

noun

Definition of Attic

:a dialect of ancient Greek originally used in Attica and later the literary language of the Greek-speaking world

Recent Examples of attic from the Web

The 16 New Jersey volunteers are highly skilled in swift-water rescues — such as freeing people trapped in cars — but could also use that expertise to help in going home-to-home and rescuing those trapped in attics and other areas, Connolly said.

— erin mccarthy, Philly.com, "Pa., N.J. volunteers mobilize for Harvey relief in Texas," 28 Aug. 2017
Authorities had to perform numerous water rescues overnight as residents became trapped in stalled cars or in the attics of their homes after encountering rising floodwaters.

— chas danner and benjamin hart, Daily Intelligencer, "Catastrophic Flooding Swamps Houston as Harvey Stalls Over Texas," 27 Aug. 2017
Firefighters entered and extinguished the fire, containing it to the attic.

— darcy costello, The Courier-Journal, "Lightning strike starts apartment building fire Wednesday," 2 Aug. 2017
He was removed from the attic and taken in to custody.

— carol robinson, AL.com, "Man sought on elder abuse charge nabbed by deputies in Jeffco attic," 31 July 2017
Staff quarters occupied most of the basement and attic.

— james tarmy, Bloomberg.com, "Live in a Piece of History at This $16 Million San Francisco Mansion," 25 July 2017
The roof was ventilated to extinguish the fire in the attic, a process that took about 15 minutes, the release said.

— staff report, Naperville Sun, "House fire 'storm-related,' Naperville Fire Department says," 22 July 2017
Romania was an ally of the Nazis until 1944, and historians believe there may be more Enigmas lying undiscovered in attics there.

— linda hervieux, Fox News, "Nazi code machine bought at flea market sells for $51G," 13 July 2017
Heat rises, and the attic is the hottest part of the home, which means the air conditioner tries to cool it down.

— Cincinnati.com, "Column: Summer weatherization to keep you cool," 30 June 2017

First Known Use of attic

1653

Other Language Terms

cognate, collocation, homonym

ATTIC Defined for English Language Learners

attic

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noun

Definition of attic for English Language Learners

: a room or space that is just below the roof of a building and that is often used to store things

ATTIC Defined for Kids

attic

play

noun at·tic \ ˈa-tik \

Definition of attic for Students

:a room or a space just under the roof of a building

Medical Dictionary

attic

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noun at·tic \ ˈat-ik \

medical Definition of attic

:the small upper space of the middle ear — called also epitympanic recess

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See words that rhyme with attic Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for attic Spanish Central: Translation of attic Nglish: Translation of attic for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of attic for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about attic

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Attic

Definition of Attic

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Origin and Etymology of attic

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Attic

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ATTIC Defined for English Language Learners

attic

Definition of attic for English Language Learners

ATTIC Defined for Kids

attic

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attic

medical Definition of attic

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