A Mansion Was Simply a Place to Stay
A mansion is a large impressive house. The Latin root means a dwelling or a stopping place, with no grandeur implied.
A mansion is a large and imposing house. The size arrived late. Latin *mansio* meant a staying or a stopping place, from *manere*, to remain — a mansion was originally just somewhere you stayed, which is why an old translation of the Bible speaks of many mansions where the sense is dwelling places.
- A large impressive house. *A country mansion.*
- A dwelling place (archaic). *In my father's house are many mansions.*
- Mansions — a name for blocks of flats in Britain. *Ashley Mansions, flat 4.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | mansion | A brick mansion. |
| Plural | mansions | Grand mansions. |
| Related | manor | The manor house. |
| Related | manse | The minister's manse. |
| Related | permanent | A permanent home. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The mansion was converted into flats.A common fate.
- They live in a mansion block near the park.British: a Victorian or Edwardian apartment building.
- The manor house dates from 1560.Manor is about the estate, not just the building.
Big houses, distinguished
- Mansion — large and grand, urban or rural
- Manor — the house at the centre of an estate
- Stately home — a historic house open to visitors, British
- Château — the French equivalent, often with land and wine
- Villa — a country house in Roman times, now also a holiday house
From Old French *mansion*, from Latin *mansio*, a staying, from *manere*, to remain — the same root as *permanent*, *remain* and *manor*.
Why are some blocks of flats called Mansions?
Victorian and Edwardian developers used the name to make apartment buildings sound grand. Many still carry it.
Mansion or manor?
A manor was a landholding with legal rights attached; the manor house sat at its centre. A mansion is simply a large house.