Pied-à-terre Netherlands to provide housing to politicians working in The Hague. Pied-à-terre A pied-à-terre (; French for "foot on the ground") is a small living unit usually located in a large city some distance away from an individual's primary residence. It may be an apartment or condominium. The term "pied-à-terre" implies usage as a temporary second residence (but not a vacation home), either for part of the year or part of the work week, by a reasonably wealthy person. If the owner's primary residence is nearby, a "pied-à-terre" implies a secondary residence within the city which allows the owner to use
Pied-Noir specifically, the term "Pied-Noir" is used for those of European ancestry who "returned" to mainland France as soon as Algeria gained independence, or in the months following. From the French invasion on 18 June 1830 until its independence, Algeria was administratively part of France, and its European population was simply called Algerians or colons (colonists), whereas the Muslim people of Algeria were called Arabs, Muslims or Indigenous. The term ""pied-noir"" began to be commonly used shortly before the end of the Algerian War in 1962. As of the last census in French-ruled Algeria, taken on 1 June 1960, there were