maisonette
Noun: 1. A small house: A maisonette is a type of dwelling that is a small, often two-story, house. 2. A self-contained apartment (usually on two floors) in a larger house and with its own entrance from the outside: A maisonette is an apartment that occupies more than one floor (typically two) within a larger building. It is a separate living unit with its own private, external entrance, distinguishing it from flats/apartments accessed via a shared internal hallway.
- As a small house:
- They bought a charming little maisonette in the suburbs.
- The property includes a main house and a separate maisonette for guests.
- As a two-floor apartment:
- We live in a maisonette on the first and second floors of this converted townhouse.
- The maisonette has its own front door, which gives us more privacy than a standard flat.
- The term is often used in British English. In American English, similar dwellings might be called a "duplex apartment" (if it has two floors) or simply a "two-story apartment."
- A key feature of a maisonette is its private, external entrance. This differentiates it from a standard flat.
- Maisonette is the standard spelling. The variant spelling maisonnette is also sometimes seen.
- Duplex: (North American English) An apartment on two floors.
- Apartment/Flat: A set of rooms for living in, typically on one floor of a building.
- Townhouse: A tall, narrow traditional house, usually in a row of similar houses.
- Duplex apartment
- Two-story apartment/flat
- Self-contained unit
The two primary meanings are closely related, both emphasizing a small, multi-level dwelling. The first meaning (a small house) focuses on the structure being a separate building. The second meaning (a self-contained apartment on two floors) focuses on the unit's layout and private access within a larger structure. Context usually clarifies which sense is intended.
- a small house
- a self-contained apartment (usually on two floors) in a larger house and with its own entrance from the outside