[tuh-raz-oh, -rah-zoh, -rah-tsoh; Italian ter-raht-tsaw]
- a mosaic flooring or paving composed of chips of broken stone, usually marble, and cement, polished when in place.
Origin of terrazzo
1895–1900; < Italian: balcony, terraced or flat roof < Vulgar Latin *terrāceus, derivative of Latin terra ground
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for terrazzo
She threw herself down on the terrazzo floor and clasped the contessa around the knees.The Saracen: The Holy War
- a floor or wall finish made by setting marble or other stone chips into a layer of mortar and polishing the surface
C20: from Italian: terrace
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for terrazzo
type of flooring material, 1902, from Italian terrazzo "terrace, balcony" (see terrace).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper