apartment

apartment

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Pronunciation

IPA Phonetic Spelling:

• /əˈpɑːrtmənt/ (General American) or /əˈpɑːtmənt/ (Received Pronunciation)

• a - /ə/ (schwa, unstressed, as in "about")

• part - /ˈpɑːrt/ (as in "start" with 'r' - General American) or /ˈpɑːt/ (as in "start" without 'r' - Received Pronunciation)

• ment - /mənt/ (as in "moment" without the first 'o')

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 Word Form Variations

Apartment" primarily functions as a noun.

• Noun:

• Singular: apartment

• Plural: apartments

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Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms

Noun

1. A set of rooms forming a complete residence, typically on one floor of a larger building, and rented to one household.

• Synonyms: flat (chiefly British), condo (informal, for condominium), suite, unit, dwelling, residence

• Antonyms: house (standalone), detached home, mansion

2. A room or set of rooms in a large house, typically one used by a single person or family within that larger structure. (Often implies a more luxurious or grand setting)

• Synonyms: suite, chamber, quarters, living space

• Antonyms: entire building, whole house

3. A private room or set of rooms within a hotel, especially one that is more luxurious or spacious than a standard room.

• Synonyms: suite, penthouse, studio (if small), flat

• Antonyms: hotel room (standard), motel room

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Examples of Use

• Books:

• "He spent his mornings in the same café, nursing coffee and watching the life on the street below his apartment window." (Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood, 1987)

• Newspapers:

• "The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the city center has increased by 15% in the last year, new data shows." (The New York Times)

• Online Publications:

• "Searching for your first apartment? Here's a guide to navigating the rental market and avoiding common pitfalls." (Zillow.com)

• Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:

• "Welcome to my crib! This is my new apartment tour, featuring all my minimalist decor." (YouTube vlogger, "Minimalist Living," April 2025)

• "The suspect was last seen entering a high-rise apartment building downtown." (Dialogue from a police procedural TV show, Law & Order, various seasons)

• "She shared her small apartment with three roommates to save on rent." (Character backstory in a romantic comedy film, When Harry Met Sally..., 1989)

• General Public Discourse:

• "I'm looking for a new apartment closer to work."

• "My sister just moved into a beautiful new apartment downtown."

• "Is it cheaper to rent an apartment or a house in this area?"

• "They converted the old factory building into luxury apartments."

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10 Quotes Using Apartment

1. "He spent his mornings in the same café, nursing coffee and watching the life on the street below his apartment window." (Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood, 1987)

2. "I woke up in my apartment and knew something was terribly wrong." (A common literary or cinematic trope, evocative of Kafka's The Metamorphosis)

3. "The city is a mosaic of lives, each one an apartment window with a different story." (A common poetic observation about urban landscapes)

4. "My whole life has been a series of open doors, leading me finally to this tiny apartment." (A widely used humorous or self-deprecating trope, particularly in entertainment)

5. "And here's Monica's apartment!" (A highly recognizable phrase referencing the iconic setting of the TV show Friends)

6. "This apartment is not fit for human habitation!" (A common dramatic or comedic line from films and TV shows depicting poor living conditions)

7. "She dreamed of a spacious apartment overlooking the park, a stark contrast to her current cramped space." (A common descriptive line in fiction portraying aspiration)

8. "Living in a big city often means embracing the charm of a small apartment." (A common observation about urban living)

9. "His bachelor apartment always looked like a storm had recently passed through it." (A common descriptive stereotype often used in character portrayal)

10. "The most important thing about a home isn't its size, but the love inside; even a small apartment can be a palace." (A widely used sentimental expression)

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Etymology

The word "apartment" refers to a set of rooms used as a dwelling, and its history shows a clear progression from being a "part" of a larger building.

It comes from the Old French word "appartement," which itself came from the Italian word "appartamento." These words meant "a private room" or "a set of rooms."

The Italian "appartamento" is derived from the Latin verb "appartire," meaning "to divide" or "to separate." This Latin verb is formed from "ad-" (to, at) and "partire" (to divide, from "pars," meaning a "part" or "portion"). So, the literal sense is a "divided part" or a "separated section" of a larger structure.

The word "apartment" entered the English language around the early 17th century (circa 1600s).

The first known use and meaning of "apartment" in English was very much in line with its Latin and French origins: a room or set of rooms forming part of a larger house or building, typically intended for a single person or family to live in. Initially, it might have referred to more grand private rooms within a palace or large mansion, but over centuries, its meaning broadened to the more common modern usage of a rented dwelling unit in a multi-story building.

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Phrases + Idioms Containing Apartment

Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "apartment":

• Apartment complex (a group of apartment buildings)

• Studio apartment (a small apartment with one main room)

• One-bedroom apartment (an apartment with one bedroom)

• Furnished apartment (an apartment that comes with furniture)

• Rent an apartment

• Share an apartment (to live in an apartment with roommates)

• Apartment hunting (the activity of searching for an apartment to rent or buy)

• Penthouse apartment (a luxurious apartment on the top floor of a building)

• Walk-up apartment (an apartment in a building without an elevator)

• Apartment living (the lifestyle associated with residing in an apartment, often urban)

• Apartment therapy (a common online term for interior design and home organization for small spaces)

• Apartment dweller (someone who lives in an apartment)

• Cozy apartment nook (original, describing a comfortable small space within an apartment)

• The whole flat (using a synonym for similar effect, meaning the entire apartment)

• A rental unit (using a synonym for similar effect)

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Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA

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Source Information

Definition of apartment from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.

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