An earthscraper is a building that provides multiple stories of permanent space below ground where people may live: the inverse of very tall high-rise buildings. Though humans have been building structures underground for centuries, such dwellings are generally called Earth shelters, and typically are only one or two stories deep at most. It is the number or depth of below ground stories that distinguish an earthscraper.
An earthscraper might have some exposed sides, such as one built in a quarry with open exposure on some sides for lighting or ventilation purposes.