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• podium
  podium

  noun

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

  a combining form meaning “footlike part” of an organism, used in the formation of compound words.

podium

¹ American  

[poh-dee-uhm] / ˈpoʊ di əm /

noun

• podiums,
  plural
• podia
  plural

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

2. Architecture.

   1. a low wall forming a base for a construction, as a colonnade or dome.

   2. a stereobate for a classical temple, especially one with perpendicular sides.

   3. the masonry supporting a classical temple.

   4. a raised platform surrounding the arena of an ancient Roman amphitheater having on it the seats of privileged spectators.

3. lectern.

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

5. Zoology, Anatomy. a foot.

6. Botany. a footstalk or stipe.

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verb (used without object)

1. (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.

-podium ² American  

1. a combining form meaning “footlike part” of an organism, used in the formation of compound words.

   monopodium; pseudo-podium.

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podium ¹ British  

/ ˈpəʊdɪəm /

noun

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

2. a plinth that supports a colonnade or wall

3. a low wall surrounding the arena of an ancient amphitheatre

4. zoology

   1. the terminal part of a vertebrate limb

   2. any footlike organ, such as the tube foot of a starfish

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-podium ² British  

combining form

1. a part resembling a foot

   pseudopodium

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Usage

What does -podium mean? The combining form -podium is used like a suffix meaning “footlike part.” It is very occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in botany. The form -podium comes from Greek pódion, meaning “little foot.” The Latin cognate of pódion is pēs, “foot,” and is the source of several combining forms related to the lower extremities, including -ped, -pede, and pedi-. Discover more at our Words That Use articles for each of these three forms. What are variants of -podium?The form -podium is a variant of -pode. It also shares an origin with the combining forms pod-, podo-, -pod, -poda, and -podous. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for all these forms.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• podia
  plural
• podiums
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of podium¹

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

Origin of -podium²

From New Latin; see origin at podium

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Explanation

A podium is a raised platform like the kind Olympians stand on when they win a medal or like the overturned crate in the garage where you pretend to accept your Academy Award. Stepping up to a podium means taking center stage. A person might be receiving an honor or giving a speech and the added height of a podium makes that person the focus. If you wave a baton as the conductor of an orchestra or band, you'll need to stand on a podium so the musicians can see you. And, if you deliver a rousing message in a church you might use a podium, but probably shouldn't be waving a baton.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

podium podia podiums

He spends most of his time at the podium reliving 2018.

From Slate ● Oct. 20, 2026

The world premiere is directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz and features Yannick Nézet-Séguin at the podium for most performances.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

From a podium, Trump rattled off thank-yous to the law’s architects.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

“Getting behind the podium is tough, but she got off on the wrong foot,” an administration official texted an MS NOW reporter after Zacharia’s debut.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

He was halfway to the podium when he realized his best friend wasn’t with him.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

Many boomers, who grew up reading Mailer, seeing him regularly on TV, in gossip columns and on college campus podia, took him as a given.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2022

See her brave the weather at tarmacs, outdoor podia, and tourist hotspots below.

From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2018

There are many podia along the length of the arm, which allow the sea star to latch onto objects and walk.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

All ordinary classical temples stood on podia or platforms which raised them above the surrounding surface at least to some small extent.

From Roman Britain in 1914 by F. (Francis) Haverfield

B, Distal joint-face. c, Ventral groove, where lies the water-vessel, from which branches pass through the ossicle, emerging as podia at e and e.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 10 "Echinoderma" to "Edward" by Various

It makes us fondly recall a past when first ladies competently delivered coherent speeches from podiums and made strong policy advocates.

From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026

In the intervening years, when he was largely absent from U.S. podiums, Mr. Thomas cemented an enduring relationship with the London Symphony Orchestra, becoming its chief conductor in 1988.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026

While the other candidates pressed their palms against the podiums, ready to pounce on every question, Becerra clasped his hands like an altar boy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026

Since 2022, the year the trio formed a British 'team' in an otherwise individual sport, Ryding achieved four more World Cup podiums, including that Kitzbuhel win.

From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026

When their names are called, they step into the glaring stage lights and up to the adjacent podiums.

From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone

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Related Words

• dais
• platform
• rostrum
• stage

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