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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

That Antonelli shared the Mexico City Grand Prix podium with these two titans meant something, too.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

The rambunctious teenagers crammed into a lecture hall suddenly went quiet when a woman old enough to be their great-grandmother, and smaller in stature than many of them, approached the podium.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

From politicians shouting from a podium, to passing cars with turned-up radios, to kids screaming at their teachers and sometimes their parents—these noises seem increasingly common.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

They were joined on the podium by actress Linda Gray - Sue Ellen in the Dallas TV series.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

Nyla stands at a podium, her back to me.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

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

The circumoesophageal water-ring communicates indirectly with the exterior; the podia, when present, are respiratory, not locomotor, in function.

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

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

"To come away with two podiums is no mean feat, and I am the only athlete to double up in the sprints and I came away with a second and a third," added Hunt.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

NBA stars such as Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson wear Anta on the court, and top East African runners have taken the podiums in them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 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

It is large and open, with black-and-white cloth draped on every wall, and a circle of podiums in the center of the room.

From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth

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Related Words

• dais
• platform
• rostrum
• stage

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