From Italian mezzanino 'little middle floor,' from Latin medius 'middle,' for a half-story inserted between main floors.
A low-ceilinged story between two main stories of a building, typically between the ground and first floors.
From Italian mezzanino, diminutive of mezzano 'middle,' from Latin mediānus 'of the middle,' from medius 'middle.' The mezzanine is literally the 'little middle' floor—a half-story inserted between full floors. Italian Renaissance architects used mezzanines for servant quarters and storage. Key roots: *médʰyos (Proto-Indo-European: "middle").