English basement

An English basement is an apartment (flat in UK English) on the lowest floor of a building, generally a townhouse or brownstone, which is partially below and partially above ground level and which has its own entrance, separate from those of the rest of the building.

English basements are most common in larger, older cities like London, Edinburgh, New York City, Boston, and Washington, D.C.[2] The origin of the term "English basement" dates back to at least the mid-19th century.

The earliest citation in the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1853: ("1853 N.Y. Daily Times 8 July 5/3 (advt.)

In Québec, in both English and French, this space is known as a "demi sous-sol," literally a "half-basement."

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