mother-in-law apartment noun1 •A small apartment attached to or carved out of a nominally single-family house, ostensibly intended for occupancy by a mother-in-law or other relative, but potentially also rented out to a stranger."Accessory dwelling units are commonly referred to as mother-in-law apartments. Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) are a second dwelling on a piece of property where a primary residence already exists." —King County (Washington) formsmother-in-law apartments
