Word Study
rez-de-chaussée
CIDE DICTIONARY
The ground story of a building, either on a level with the street or raised slightly above it; -- said esp. of buildings on the continent of Europe.
"Tier above tier of neat apartments rise over the little shops which form the rez-de-chaussée." [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
For further exploring for "rez-de-chaussée" in Webster Dictionary Online