Terrace: A House, a Hillside, and a Football Stand
A terrace is a level platform. Britain uses the word for a row of joined houses, farmers for hillside steps, and football for standing areas.
A terrace is a raised level area. British English then applies it in three directions: a *terraced house* is one of a joined row, terrace farming cuts steps into a hillside, and the *terraces* were the standing areas of a football ground, largely replaced by seating after the safety reforms of the 1990s.
- A raised level area. *A roof terrace.*
- A row of joined houses (British). *A Victorian terrace.*
- Steps cut into a hillside. *Rice terraces.*
- Standing areas at a stadium. *On the terraces.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | terrace | A stone terrace. |
| Plural | terraces | Hillside terraces. |
| Adjective | terraced | A terraced house. |
| American | row house | A brick row house. |
| Related | patio | A garden patio. |
How it is used in a sentence
- They live in a terraced house.British; American says row house.
- The rice terraces are centuries old.Agriculture.
- He stood on the terraces for twenty years.Football, now historical.
British house types
- Detached — standing alone
- Semi-detached — joined on one side
- Terraced — joined on both sides
- End of terrace — the last house in a row
- Back-to-back — joined at the rear as well, now rare
From Old French *terrasse*, from Latin *terra*, earth. A terrace was first a raised earthen platform, and the housing sense came from streets built along such platforms.
Terraced house or row house?
They are the same thing. Terraced is British and Irish, row house American, and townhouse is used in both with a slightly grander sense.
Why did football terraces disappear?
After the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, the Taylor Report led to all-seater requirements in the top divisions of English football.