RALPH: The word penthouse derived from the Latin word “pendere,” to hang. It originally referred to a small structure created by hanging a roof from the side of an existing wall. 
DAVINA: Shakespeare uses the word to figuratively refer to the eyelids, which hang down over the eyes. 
RALPH: The word didn’t take on its modern meaning – a luxurious space on the top floor of a hotel or apartment building – until the 20th century. 
DAVINA: Even then, it had humble origins. Around 1900, the wealthy residents of an apartment building in Manhattan wanted their servants available 24 hours a day, so they built a little shed for them to live in the only available space, on the roof. A news reporter referred to it as a penthouse.