piazza

[pee-az-uh, -ah-zuh or for 1, 3 especially British, pee-at-suh, -aht-; for 1 also Italian pyaht-tsah]

See more synonyms for piazza on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural pi·az·zas, Italian piaz·ze

[pyaht-tse] /ˈpyɑt tsɛ/.

an open square or public place in a city or town, especially in Italy.
Chiefly New England and Inland South. a large porch on a house; veranda.
Chiefly British. an arcade or covered walk or gallery, as around a public square or in front of a building.

Origin of piazza

1575–85; < Italian < Latin platēa courtyard, orig., street < Greek plateîa, noun use of feminine of platýs flat¹. See place

Related formspi·az·zaed, adjectivepi·az·zi·an, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for piazza

stoop, square, portico, patio, colonnade, balcony, veranda

Examples from the Web for piazza

Contemporary Examples of piazza

Piazza talks to Sister Madonna Buder, the “Iron Nun,” who is the oldest person to ever finish an Ironman Triathlon.
The World Would Go to Hell Without Nuns
William O’Connor
September 4, 2014
“They would not be able to devote themselves so completely to service if they had a husband or kids,” asserts Piazza.
The World Would Go to Hell Without Nuns
William O’Connor
September 4, 2014
“I kept thinking, wow, nobody is telling the real story, which is all the good these women are doing,” says Piazza.
The World Would Go to Hell Without Nuns
William O’Connor
September 4, 2014
“He spent most of his time trying to impress me,” Campbell tells Piazza about a meeting with Ryan.
The World Would Go to Hell Without Nuns
William O’Connor
September 4, 2014
I met Michael Winterbottom at the Rosati café in Piazza del Popolo in Rome in the spring of 2010.
What It's Like to Watch Kate Beckinsale Play You in a Movie
Barbie Latza Nadeau
September 3, 2014

Historical Examples of piazza

The Milbreys, father and son, came up and greeted the group on the piazza.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
The old feller was sittin' on the piazza in a big rattan chair.
The Underdog
F. Hopkinson Smith
When he went out on the piazza he saw excitement among his comrades.
The Rock of Chickamauga
Joseph A. Altsheler
Though all cannot live on the piazza,” as the Tuscan proverb has it, “every one may feel the sun.
Self-Help
Samuel Smiles
Will ye come in th' parlor, er had ye ruther set out on th' piazza?
Southern Lights and Shadows
Various

British Dictionary definitions for piazza

piazza

noun

a large open square in an Italian town
mainly British a covered passageway or gallery

Word Origin for piazza

C16: from Italian: marketplace, from Latin platēa courtyard, from Greek plateia; see place

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for piazza

1580s, "public square in an Italian town," from Italian piazza, from Latin platea "courtyard, broad street," from Greek plateia (hodos) "broad (street);" see place (n.). According to OED, mistakenly applied in English 1640s to the colonnade of Covent Garden, designed by Inigo Jones, rather than to the marketplace itself; hence "the verandah of a house" (1724, chiefly American English).

piazza in Culture

piazza

[(pee-az-uh, pee-ah-zuh, pee-aht-suh)]

An open square, especially in a city or town in Italy.