? Obs. Also 6–8 tarrace, 7–8 tarris, 8 terrace, 8–9 terras, 9 tarrass. See also TRASS. [ad. early mod.Du. tarasse, terras, tiras (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. 8d.
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 April, 1/3. Mortar … mixed … with a due proportion of Terrace or other Water Cement.
1813. Sir H. Davy, Agric. Chem. (1814), 327. Tarras, 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 Of late years, these stones [septaria], burnt and reduced to powder,… have entirely superseded the employment of puzzolana and of Dutch tarras.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, work; tarras-layer.
1596. Lodge, Wits Miserie (Hunter. Cl.), 33. His nose sticks in the midst like an embosment 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.
