▪ I. tarras, n. ? Obs.
(ˈtærəs)
Also 6–8 tarrace, 7–8 tarris, 8 terrace, 8–9 terras, 9 tarrass. See also trass.
[ad. early mod.Du. taˈrasse, teˈrras, tiˈras (Kilian), Du. tras neut., Ger. trasz masc. (17th c., Kluge), also tarrasz (Sanders 1865); of Romanic origin: cf. OF. terrace (12th c.), -asse, tierasse, -aisse fem., ‘torchis, terre à foulon, trass’ (Godef.), It. terraccia, -azza fem., ‘rubble or rubbish’ (Florio 1611):—late L. *terrācea earthy, earthen: cf. terrace.]
A kind of rock, allied in composition to pozzolana, consisting largely of comminuted pumice or other volcanic substance; it is found along the Rhine between Cologne and Mainz, and was formerly imported from Holland for making a mortar or hydraulic cement. Hence, the mortar or cement made of this, used for pargeting, lining cisterns, etc.; also applied to other similar cements.
| 1612 Sturtevant Metallica xiii. 95 Part or appurtenance in buildings,..made either of Bricke, Tile, Lead, Wood, Tarras, or Free-stone. 1662 Stat. Irel. (1765) II. 416 Tarras, the barrel 6s. 8{supd}. 1698 Lister Journ. Paris (1699) 52 Which I make no doubt are set in Cement or Tarras, that is, the Pulvis Puteolanus. 1735 J. Price Stone-Br. Thames 5 All the Joints set in Tarris. 1765 Museum Rust. IV. lviii. 244 To make it almost as hard as terras. 1775 Small in Phil. Trans. LXVI. 444 By laying the ground-floor with terrace. 1786 Projects in Ann. Reg. 96/1 Dutch terras is a tufa stone, found on the rocky banks of the Rhine. 1800 Hull Advertiser 5 Apr. 1/3 Mortar..mixed..with a due proportion of Terrace or other Water Cement. 1813 Sir H. Davy Agric. Chem. (1814) 327 Taras, which was formerly imported in considerable quantities from Holland, is a mere decomposed basalt. 1822 G. Young Geol. Surv. Yorks. Coast (1828) 139 The manufacture of terras, or Roman cement. 1838 Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl. I. 412/2 Tarras, or trass, is a bluish black cellular trap or lava, quarried at Andernach on the Rhine into mill-stones. Ibid., Of late years, these stones [septaria], burnt and reduced to powder,..have entirely superseded the employment of puzzolana and of Dutch tarras. 1842–76 Gwilt Archit. Gloss., Tarras, a strong cement, useful formerly in water-works. |
b. attrib. and Comb., as tarras mortar, tarras work; tarras-layer.
| 1596 Lodge Wits Miserie (Hunter. Cl.) 33 His nose sticks in the midst like an embosement in Tarrace worke. 1741 Sympson in Phil. Trans. XLI. 856 Strong Cement composed of Lime, Sand, Brick-dust, &c. which the Masons of that Country [Lincoln] call Terrace-mortar. 1819 W. S. Rose Lett. I. 54 Many Venetian tarrass-layers have set out, upon invitation, to Russia. 1838 Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl. I. 413/2 Tarras mortar, made of white lime and tarras, requires long and repeated beating to bring it to perfection. |
▪ II. tarras, v. ? Obs.
Forms: see prec.; also 5 terys, 8 terass.
[In later use app. f. tarras n.; but in earlier use prob. f. F. terracer, terrasser in some of its senses: see terrace v.]
trans. To cover, coat, or lay with plaster; in later use, with tarras. Hence tarrassed ppl. a.
| 1485 Churchw. Acc. St. Mary at Hill (Nichols 1797) 94 Paid the Dawber for terysing of floris per day 8{supd}. 1611 Florio, Pauimentare, to paue, to terrace. 1615 tr. De Monfart's Surv. E. Indies 7 The houses..are lowe enough, vaulted under, and tarassed on the top. 1705 Lond. Gaz. No. 4163/1 His Royal Highness has ordered the Towers of the old Castle..to be vaulted and terrassed, to prevent the Effect of the Bombs. 1764 Harmer Observ. i. iii. 89 An upper-story, which is flat on the top and either terraced with hard plaister, or paved with stone. 1789 Trans. Soc. Arts (ed. 2) II. 235 The plants were..put in a stone cistern, well terassed. 1795 Statist. Acc. Scot. XVI. 4 [The] space under the tarrass'd floor was filled with earth. 1796 Morse Amer. Geog. II. 492 [Great Wall of China] being terrassed and cased with bricks. 1819 W. S. Rose Lett. I. 117 Collecting the rain on tarrassed roofs, as at Malta. |
▪ III. tarras, tarrass(e
obs. ff. terrace.