mansion

Definitions

mans (mānsus, past participle of manēre 'stay') + -ion (act/place) = 'a staying place,' a dwelling. Latin mansiō just meant a place to stay; over centuries the dwelling grew grander until mansion came to mean a large, luxurious house.

Why It Means This

Surprising for such a grand word: mansion started as a humble 'place to stay' (from manēre, to remain). A traveler's stopping-point and a lord's dwelling were the same kind of word. As the dwellings of the wealthy grew, the word climbed the social ladder with them, until today it signals luxury. The related manor took the same 'dwelling' root through Old French to mean a lord's estate.

Common Collocations

• 1.grand mansion宏伟的宅邸
• 2.country mansion乡间宅邸
• 3.luxury mansion豪华大宅
• 4.sprawling mansion庞大的宅邸
• 5.haunted mansion鬼屋

Example Sentences

• 1.

  The film star lives in a sprawling mansion overlooking the sea.

• 2.

  The old mansion has been turned into a boutique hotel.

• 3.

  Behind the gates stood a grand nineteenth-century mansion.

Easily Confused

mansion vs manor — both come from the 'dwelling' root and both are big houses, but a manor is specifically a country estate with surrounding land, historically a feudal lord's holding. A mansion is just a large luxurious house, with no land or feudal sense required.