balcony
[bal-kuh-nee]
- a balustraded or railed elevated platform projecting from the wall of a building.
- a gallery in a theater.
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Origin of balcony
1610–20; < Italian balcone balcony, floor-length window < Langobardic (compare Old High German balc(h)o, accusative singular balcon beam; see balk); sense extended from the beam over an aperture to the aperture itself
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for balcony
Contemporary Examples
Orchestra seats cost $100; mezzanine is $75; and balcony, $50.
Here’s the Program for Women in the World Texas!October 2, 2014
From a balcony on one side, a few people looked down on us as we entered, waving hello.
From his balcony overlooking the American embassy hangs a Palestinian flag.
Because Thrones is basically a soap opera, of course a seething Lysa was watching Sansa and Baelish make out from her balcony.
Game of Thrones’ Ep. 7 ‘Mockingbird’ Recap: Conscious Coupling (and Uncoupling)Andrew Romano
May 19, 2014
Why does Don sit out in the cold at the end of the episode—alone on his balcony in his bathrobe?
Jon Hamm on the Final Season of ‘Mad Men’ and the Advice He Got From Bryan Cranston and Tina FeyAndrew Romano
April 14, 2014
Historical Examples
Christine and Palmer Howe came in to see her, and to inspect the balcony, now finished.
KMary Roberts Rinehart
He sat down on the edge of the balcony and stared out blankly.
KMary Roberts Rinehart
Christine had stepped out on the balcony, and was speaking to K. just inside.
KMary Roberts Rinehart
At first, by the aid of the furniture, she was able to get to the balcony.
The DreamEmile Zola
She did not even go to the balcony, or to the window, as before.
The DreamEmile Zola
balcony
- a platform projecting from the wall of a building with a balustrade or railing along its outer edge, often with access from a door or window
- a gallery in a theatre or auditorium, above the dress circle
- US and Canadian any circle or gallery in a theatre or auditorium including the dress circle
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Word Origin
C17: from Italian balcone, probably from Old High German balko beam; see balk
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for balcony
n.
1610s, from Italian balcone, from balco "scaffold," from a Germanic source (perhaps Langobardic *balko- "beam," cf. Old English balca "beam, ridge;" see balk) + Italian augmentative suffix -one. Till c.1825, regularly accented on the second syllable.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper