Souterrain

basement flat, ground-level basement apartment

noun zoo-te-RANG Rare

Origin: from French sous-terrain 'underground'

Usage Note

Souterrain describes a flat or room that is at or slightly below street level with windows near the ground; common in old Berlin or Vienna Wilhelmian-era buildings and typically cheaper to rent due to limited natural light.

Examples

"Das Souterrain bekommt kaum Tageslicht."

Natural Translation

The basement flat gets hardly any daylight.

Literal Translation

The basement-flat gets hardly daylight.

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