portico
Americannoun
plural
porticoes, porticosnoun
-
a covered entrance to a building; porch
-
a covered walkway in the form of a roof supported by columns or pillars, esp one built on to the exterior of a building
Etymology
Origin of portico
1595–1605; < Italian < Latin porticus porch, portico. See port 4
Explanation
If your host suggests that you take your iced tea out to the portico, you can follow him onto the porch. A portico is a front porch with columns. If you've ever seen pictures of the United States Capitol building or the Pantheon in Rome, you've seen a portico. While a porch that is held up with grand columns is a portico, a longer covered area or walkway with columns is called a colonnade. The root of portico, is simply the Latin word for "porch," porticus.
Vocabulary lists containing portico
Built To Last: Architectural Parlance
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The Lightning Thief
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Ancient Greece - Middle School and High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"He's a great king -- the greatest king, in my book," Trump told reporters as the king and queen arrived at the South Portico of the White House for the brief ceremony.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
The King and Queen went on to meet the Trumps, who greeted their visitors on the South Portico of the White House, with the famous building currently under much construction work.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
They didn’t like the addition of the Truman Balcony within the South Portico.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025
He climbed the South Portico steps and removed his mask upon reaching the balcony, American flags flanking him, giving two thumbs-up to the helicopter as it flew off into the sunset.
From Salon • Jul. 19, 2024
Reaching the State Floor, we made our way toward the tall set of doors leading to the North Portico, when we heard a voice.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
