attic

[at-ik] /ˈæt ɪk/
noun
1.
the part of a building, especially of a house, directly under a roof; garret.
2.
a room or rooms in an attic.
3.
a low story or decorative wall above an entablature or the main cornice of a building.
4.
Anatomy. the upper part of the tympanic cavity of the ear.
Origin
1690-1700; special use of Attic

Attic

[at-ik] /ˈæt ɪk/
adjective
1.
of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Greece or of Athens.
2.
(often lowercase) displaying simple elegance, incisive intelligence, and delicate wit.
noun
3.
the dialect of ancient Attica that became the standard language of Classical Greek literature in the 5th and 4th centuries b.c.
Origin
1555-65; < Latin Atticus < Greek Attikós
Related forms
non-Attic, adjective, noun
Examples from the web for attic
  • Her crested helmet is sometimes rendered as attic in type, sometimes corinthian.
  • A new attic remake version has also been created and should be released soon.
  • Two hundred and forty mast corbels were positioned around the top of the attic.
British Dictionary definitions for attic

attic

/ˈætɪk/
noun
1.
a space or room within the roof of a house
2.
(architect) a storey or low wall above the cornice of a classical façade
Word Origin
C18: special use of Attic from the use of Attic-style pilasters to adorn the façade of the top storey

Attic

/ˈætɪk/
adjective
1.
of or relating to Attica, its inhabitants, or the dialect of Greek spoken there, esp in classical times
2.
(often not capital) classically elegant, simple, or pure: an Attic style
noun
3.
the dialect of Ancient Greek spoken and written in Athens: the chief literary dialect of classical Greek See also Aeolic, Arcadic, Doric, Ionic
Word Origin and History for attic

Attic

adj.

1590s, "pertaining to Attica," from Latin Atticus, from Greek Attikos "Athenian, of Attica," the region around Athens (see Attica). Attested from 1560s as an architectural term for a type of column base.

n.

"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 associated with the region around Athens (see Attic). The word then was applied to "a low decorative facade above the main story of a building" (1690s in English), and it came to mean the space enclosed by such a structure. The modern use is via French. attique. "An attic is upright, a garret is in a sloping roof" [Weekley].

attic in Medicine

attic at·tic (āt'ĭk)
n.
The upper portion of the tympanic cavity above the tympanic membrane that contains the head of the malleus and the body of the incus. Also called epitympanum.