Attic vs. Basement

Atticnoun

The space, often unfinished and with sloped walls, directly below the roof in the uppermost part of a house or other building, generally used for storage or habitation.

‘We went up to the attic to look for the boxes containing our childhood keepsakes.’;

Basementnoun

A floor of a building below ground level.

Atticadjective

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.

Basementnoun

(geology) A mass of igneous or metamorphic rock forming the foundation over which a platform of sedimentary rocks is laid.

Atticnoun

A low story above the main order or orders of a facade, in the classical styles; - a term introduced in the 17th century. Hence:

Basementnoun

Last place in a sports conference standings.

Atticnoun

An Athenian; an Athenian author.

Basementnoun

The outer wall of the ground story of a building, or of a part of that story, when treated as a distinct substructure. (See Base, n., 3 (a).) Hence: The rooms of a ground floor, collectively.

Atticnoun

floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof; often used for storage

Basementnoun

the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage

Atticnoun

the dialect of Ancient Greek spoken and written in Attica and Athens

Basementnoun

the ground floor facade or interior in Renaissance architecture

Atticnoun

informal terms for a human head

Basementnoun

the floor of a building which is partly or entirely below ground level

‘a basement flat’; ‘they went down the stairs into the basement’;

Atticnoun

(architecture) a low wall at the top of the entablature; hides the roof

Basementnoun

the oldest formation of rocks underlying a particular area

‘basement rocks’;

Atticadjective

of or relating to Attica or its inhabitants or to the dialect spoken in Athens in classical times;

‘Attic Greek’;

Basement

A basement or cellar is one or more floors of a building that are completely or partly below the ground floor. It generally is used as a utility space for a building, where such items as the boiler, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system are located; so also are amenities such as the electrical distribution system and cable television distribution point.

Attic

An attic (sometimes referred to as a loft) is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building; an attic may also be called a sky parlor or a garret. Because attics fill the space between the ceiling of the top floor of a building and the slanted roof, they are known for being awkwardly shaped spaces with exposed rafters and difficult-to-reach corners.