Definition

1. Noun:
   • A type of roof characterized by having two slopes on each of its four sides. The lower slope is much steeper than the upper slope. This design creates additional usable space (an attic or living quarters) directly under the roof, which is often called a mansard.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The historic building was easily identified by its distinctive mansard roof.
  • The architect chose a mansard roof to maximize the interior space on the top floor.
  • Renovating the attic under the old mansard roof proved to be a complex project.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in architectural descriptions to denote a specific 19th-century style, particularly associated with French Second Empire architecture.
  • The city's downtown features several Second Empire buildings with ornate mansard roofs.

Variants and Related Words

• Mansard (noun): Can be used as a shortened form to refer to the roof itself or, more commonly, to the story or attic space contained within such a roof.
  • They converted the mansard into a cozy apartment.
• Gambrel roof (noun): A similar double-sloped roof, but only on two sides (like a barn roof), unlike the four-sided mansard.

Synonyms

• French roof: An alternative name for a mansard roof.
• Curb roof: Another, less common, synonym.

Related Phrases

• Mansard window: A window set vertically in the steep slope of a mansard roof, often a dormer window.
  • Light streamed into the attic through the mansard window.

Noun

1. a hip roof having two slopes on each side