Attic

Attic

An attic is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building (also called "", "loft" or "sky parlor"). [ [http://thesaurus.reference.com/search?q=attic attic - Synonyms from Thesaurus.com ] ] As attics fill the space between the ceiling of the top floor of a building and most often a slanted roof, they are known for being awkwardly shaped spaces with exposed rafters and difficult-to-access corners. While some attics are converted (see loft conversion) as bedrooms or home offices, complete with windows and staircases, most attics remain hard to get to and neglected, and are typically used for storage. Attics can also help control temperature in a house by providing a large mass of unmoving air. Hot air rising from lower floors of a building often gets trapped in the attic, further compounding their reputation for inhospitability. However in recent years many attics have been insulated to help decrease heating costs.

In some places "attic" is used more specifically to apply to lofts which have boarded floors and ceilings, and usually windows or skylights, and then "loft" is kept to mean a dark, unboarded roof-space which lacks these features.

ee also

*Hayloft
*Attic ladder
*Basement

References


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  • Attic — At tic, a. [L. Atticus, Gr. ?.] Of or pertaining to Attica, in Greece, or to Athens, its principal city; marked by such qualities as were characteristic of the Athenians; classical; refined. [1913 Webster] {Attic base} (Arch.), a peculiar form of …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • attic — top story under the roof of a house, 1855, shortened from attic storey (1724). The term Attic order in classical architecture meant a small, square decorative column of the type often used in a low story above a building s main facade, a feature… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Attic — At tic, n. [In sense (a) from F. attique, orig. meaning Attic. See {Attic}, a.] 1. (Arch.) (a) A low story above the main order or orders of a facade, in the classical styles; a term introduced in the 17th century. Hence: (b) A room or rooms… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • attic — [at′ik] n. [Fr attique, an attic < Attique, ATTIC, used as an architectural term] 1. a low wall or story above the cornice of a classical facade 2. the room or space just below the roof of a house; garret …   English World dictionary

  • attic — ► NOUN ▪ a space or room inside the roof of a building. ORIGIN originally a term in classical architecture: from Latin Atticus Attic …   English terms dictionary

  • Attic — 1590s, pertaining to Attica, from L. Atticus, from Gk. Attikos Athenian, of Attica, the region around Athens (see ATTICA (Cf. Attica)). Attested from 1560s as an architectural term for a type of column base …   Etymology dictionary

  • attic — [n] space under the roof of a house garret, loft, sky parlor*, top floor; concepts 440,448 …   New thesaurus

  • Attic — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ relating to Attica in Greece, or to ancient Athens …   English terms dictionary

  • Attic — [at′ik] adj. [L Atticus < Gr Attikos] 1. of Attica 2. of or characteristic of Athens, esp. ancient Athens, or its people, language, or culture; Athenian 3. classical; simple, restrained, etc.: said of a style n. the variety of Greek spoken in… …   English World dictionary

  • Attic — Die Attic Entertainment Software GmbH (engl. attic „Dachboden“) war ein deutscher Computer Spieleentwickler und Publisher der im September 1990 von Hans Jürgen Brändle, Jochen Hamma und Guido Henkel (zuvor Dragonware) in Albstadt gegründet wurde …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • attic — [18] In classical architecture, an Attic order was a pilaster, or square column (the naḿe comes from Attica, a region of ancient Greece of which Athens was the capital). This type of column was often used in a relatively low storey placed above… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

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