podium

[ poh-dee-uhm ]

/ ˈpoʊ di əm /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR podium ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural po·di·ums, po·di·a [poh-dee-uh]. /ˈpoʊ di ə/.

a small platform for the conductor of an orchestra, a public speaker, the recipient of a sports medal, etc.

Architecture.

a low wall forming a base for a construction, as a colonnade or dome.
a stereobate for a classical temple, especially one with perpendicular sides.
the masonry supporting a classical temple.
a raised platform surrounding the arena of an ancient Roman amphitheater having on it the seats of privileged spectators.

lectern.

a counter or booth, as one at an airport for handling tickets or dispensing information.

Zoology, Anatomy. a foot.

Botany. a footstalk or stipe.

verb (used without object)

(in a sports competition) to finish first, second, or third and receive an award while standing on a podium: He’s podiumed in five of his past six races.

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Origin of podium

1605–15; <Latin: “elevated place, balcony” <Greek pódion “little foot,” equivalent to pod- pod- + -ion diminutive suffix. See pew

Definition for podium (2 of 2)

-podium

a combining form meaning “footlike part” of an organism, used in the formation of compound words: monopodium; pseudo-podium.

Also -pode.

Origin of -podium

From New Latin; see origin at podium

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for podium (1 of 2)

podium

/ (ˈpəʊdɪəm) /

noun plural -diums or -dia (-dɪə)

a small raised platform used by lecturers, orchestra conductors, etc; dais

a plinth that supports a colonnade or wall

a low wall surrounding the arena of an ancient amphitheatre

zoology

the terminal part of a vertebrate limb
any footlike organ, such as the tube foot of a starfish

Word Origin for podium

C18: from Latin: platform, balcony, from Greek podion little foot, from pous foot

British Dictionary definitions for podium (2 of 2)

-podium

n combining form

a part resembling a footpseudopodium

Word Origin for -podium

from New Latin: footlike; see podium

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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