Dictionary.com

portal

1
[ pawr-tl, pohr- ]
/ ˈpɔr tl, ˈpoʊr- /
See synonyms for: portal / portals on Thesaurus.com

noun

a door, gate, or entrance, especially one of imposing appearance, as to a palace.
an iron or steel bent for bracing a framed structure, having curved braces between the vertical members and a horizontal member at the top.
an entrance to a tunnel or mine.
Computers. a website that functions as an entry point to the internet, as by providing useful content and linking to various sites and features on the World Wide Web.

QUIZZES

DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!

We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
owl
crow
piranha
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of portal

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English portale, from Medieval Latin, noun use of neuter of portālis “of a gate.” See portal2

OTHER WORDS FROM portal

portaled, portalled, adjective

Words nearby portal

Port Adelaide, Portadown, portage, Portage la Prairie, Portakabin, portal, Port Alberni, portal canal, portal circulation, portal cirrhosis, portal fissure

Definition for portal (2 of 2)

portal2
[ pawr-tl, pohr- ]
/ ˈpɔr tl, ˈpoʊr- /
Anatomy

adjective

noting or pertaining to the transverse fissure of the liver.

noun

portal vein.

Origin of portal

2
First recorded in 1605–15, portal is from the Medieval Latin word portālis of a gate. See port4, -al1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to portal

entrance, opening, entryway, ingress, gate, entry, gateway, doorway

Example sentences from the Web for portal

British Dictionary definitions for portal

portal
/ (ˈpɔːtəl) /

noun

an entrance, gateway, or doorway, esp one that is large and impressive
any entrance or access to a place
computing an internet site providing links to other sites

adjective

anatomy
  1. of or relating to a portal veinhepatic portal system
  2. of or relating to a porta

Word Origin for portal

C14: via Old French from Medieval Latin portāle, from Latin porta gate, entrance
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

Medical definitions for portal

portal
[ pôr′tl ]

adj.

Of or relating to a porta or hilum.
Of or relating to the portal vein or the portal system.
Of or relating to a point of entrance to an organ, especially the transverse fissure of the liver, through which the blood vessels enter.

n.

The portal vein.
The point of entry into the body of a pathogenic microorganism.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Cultural definitions for portal

portal

A Web site that provides a gateway to other Web sites.

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.