peristyle

[per-uh-stahyl]

noun

Architecture.

1. a colonnade surrounding a building or an open space.

2. an open space, as a courtyard, surrounded by a colonnade.

peristyle

/ ˈpɛrɪˌstaɪl /

noun

1. a colonnade that surrounds a court or building

2. an area that is surrounded by a colonnade

Other Word Forms

• peristylar adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of peristyle¹

1605–15; < Latin peristȳlum < Greek perístȳlon, noun use of neuter of perístȳlos surrounded with columns, equivalent to peri- peri- + -stȳlos -style ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of peristyle¹

C17: via French from Latin peristӯlum, from Greek peristulon, from _peri- + stulos column

Example Sentences

And for the next two nights, the Coliseum’s peristyle will be illuminated in blue light.

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The torch was lit by Rafer Johnson, who not only had the good hands of a world-class athlete, but also a heart with a reach as high as the cauldron in the Coliseum’s peristyle end.

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The year was 2001, and the fledgling XFL’s Los Angeles Xtreme were attempting to entice fans by promising they could watch games from an end zone hot tub located below the famed Coliseum peristyle.

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Their Moderne vision blended Egyptian, Mediterranean Revival and Spanish styles into an immense elliptical bowl with a peristyle court at its eastern end.

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College students gain entry to a “party porch” for $40, a standing-room-only general admission section located on the Coliseum’s peristyle steps.

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Related Words

• portico