pergola
Americannoun
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an arbor formed of horizontal trelliswork supported on columns or posts, over which vines or other plants are trained.
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a colonnade having the form of such an arbor.
noun
Etymology
Origin of pergola
1645–55; < Italian < Latin pergula projecting roof, arbor
Explanation
A pergola is a wooden structure in a garden that's made for climbing plants. For example, you might have an ivy-covered pergola in your yard. Other words for pergola are trellis or arbor. When gardeners plant climbing roses or ivy or other plants that like to wind upward around supports as they grow, they often use a pergola. The frame holds the vines and also provides a decorative arch that looks pretty in a garden or yard. The word pergola is Italian, from the Latin pergula, "projecting roof," which is most likely rooted in pergere, "to come forward."
Vocabulary lists containing pergola
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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.
I ate my pastries under a shady pergola and biked back to the hotel for a quintessential Miami afternoon: following the sun from pool to beach.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025
However, the beloved pergola was left behind, nestled in the yard of his former home.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2025
A firepit and a shady pergola create more places for the family and their guests to congregate outdoors when the weather’s right.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2024
Miriam, who did not want her surname used, purchased two pieces of garden furniture including a pergola, from Robert Dyas in July, 2023 and by September a mark had appeared.
From BBC • Feb. 12, 2024
I had a clear view of the restaurant space, which was shaded by a white wooden pergola threaded with fake greenery.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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.
