patio

[pat-ee-oh, pah-tee-oh]

noun

plural

patios 

1. an area, usually paved, adjoining a house and used as an area for outdoor lounging, dining, etc.

2. a courtyard, especially of a house, enclosed by low buildings or walls.

patio

/ ˈpætɪˌəʊ /

noun

1. an open inner courtyard, esp one in a Spanish or Spanish-American house

2. an area adjoining a house, esp one that is paved and used for outdoor activities

Word History and Origins

Origin of patio¹

1820–30, < Spanish, Old Spanish: courtyard, perhaps originally open area; compare Medieval Latin patium meadow, pasturage, perhaps derivative of Latin *patitus, past participle of patēre to lie open. See patent

Word History and Origins

Origin of patio¹

C19: from Spanish: courtyard

Example Sentences

“I knew him better than anybody. I was like his son,” Russell said earlier this month, sitting at a patio table near the neat two-bedroom Valencia house where he’s lived for 20 years.

From Los Angeles Times

I always am going to have journaling on my front patio, and I’m always going to stretch and do breath work.

From Los Angeles Times

Dine with your furry companion at some of the best dog-friendly patios in Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times

First, however, I fell for Mi Tocaya Antojería, a funky place with tall windows facing a patio in the dynamic neighborhood of Logan Square.

From Los Angeles Times

Until my husband found one of our dogs gazing down at a grounded bat on our back patio the other night.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• balcony 
• courtyard 
• deck 
• veranda