From Latin 'Atticus' (Athenian) — originally an elegant Athenian-style story above a cornice, later generalized to any room under the roof.
The space or room directly beneath the roof of a building, often used for storage; the uppermost story of a house.
From French 'attique,' from Latin 'Atticus' (of Attica, Athenian), from Greek 'Attikos' (of Attica). The architectural sense derives from the 'Attic order' or 'Attic story' — a low decorative wall or colonnade placed above the main cornice of a building in the classical Athenian style. Renaissance architects adopted this term for the low story above the main facade, and by the late seventeenth century, 'attic' had generalized to mean any room or space directly
In Italian and Spanish, 'attico' and 'ático' mean 'penthouse' — the most desirable apartment in a building. In English, 'attic' means the dusty storage space under the roof. Same word, same architectural location, opposite connotations — reflecting whether the culture associates the top floor with luxury or neglect.