piazza
[pee-az-uh, -ah-zuh or for 1, 3 especially British, pee-at-suh, -aht-; for 1 also Italian pyaht-tsah]
- 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.
Show More
Origin of piazza
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for piazza
Contemporary Examples
Piazza talks to Sister Madonna Buder, the “Iron Nun,” who is the oldest person to ever finish an Ironman Triathlon.
“They would not be able to devote themselves so completely to service if they had a husband or kids,” asserts Piazza.
“I kept thinking, wow, nobody is telling the real story, which is all the good these women are doing,” says Piazza.
“He spent most of his time trying to impress me,” Campbell tells Piazza about a meeting with Ryan.
I met Michael Winterbottom at the Rosati café in Piazza del Popolo in Rome in the spring of 2010.
Historical Examples
The Milbreys, father and son, came up and greeted the group on the piazza.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
The old feller was sittin' on the piazza in a big rattan chair.
The UnderdogF. Hopkinson Smith
When he went out on the piazza he saw excitement among his comrades.
The Rock of ChickamaugaJoseph A. Altsheler
Though all cannot live on the piazza,” as the Tuscan proverb has it, “every one may feel the sun.
Self-HelpSamuel Smiles
Will ye come in th' parlor, er had ye ruther set out on th' piazza?
Southern Lights and ShadowsVarious
piazza
- a large open square in an Italian town
- mainly British a covered passageway or gallery
Show More
Word Origin
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
n.
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).
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
piazza
[(pee-az-uh, pee-ah-zuh, pee-aht-suh)]
An open square, especially in a city or town in Italy.
Show More
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.