Meanings
nounorphan house (plural orphan houses)
plural orphan houses · alternative orphaned house
- An orphanage.
- PittsburghResidential dwellings that have no direct vehicular road access and can only be reached via the city’s extensive, steep public stairways; often dating from the early 1900s.
As you walk west along Fairview, you may see a set of nice looking stairs at the end of Valonia St. to your left. However, while these do lead down to one of the "orphan" houses that is accessible only via steps, further down the staircase is impassable.
2025 June 15, Charleen, “West End Overlook to Chaykhana: A Pittsburgh Steps & Dine Hike”, in Love to Chow, archived from the original on 10 Nov 2025
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Cite this entry
APA
orphan house. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orphan%20house
MLA
“orphan house.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orphan%20house. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “orphan house,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orphan%20house.
Source: orphan house on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.