portal

¹

[ pawr-tl, pohr- ]

noun

1. a door, gate, or entrance, especially one of imposing appearance, as to a palace.

   Synonyms: threshold, entry, doorway, entranceway

2. an iron or steel bent for bracing a framed structure, having curved braces between the vertical members and a horizontal member at the top.
3. an entrance to a tunnel or mine.
4. 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.

portal

²

[ pawr-tl, pohr- ]

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to the transverse fissure of the liver.

noun

1. portal vein.

portal

/ ˈpɔːtəl /

noun

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

adjective

1. anatomy
   1. of or relating to a portal vein

      hepatic portal system

   2. of or relating to a porta

portal

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

Other Words From

• portaled portalled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of portal¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English portale, from Medieval Latin, noun use of neuter of portālis “of a gate.” See portal ²

Origin of portal²

First recorded in 1605–15, portal is from the Medieval Latin word portālis of a gate. See port ⁴, -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of portal¹

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

Example Sentences

The least speculative notions do not involve anything like portals to other universes or wildly exotic objects appearing in their stead.

From Nautilus

A local Knowledge Panel, which Google also refers to as a “Business Profile,” acts as your business’ portal on the search results page.

From Search Engine Land

With little hope of revival any time soon, companies that provide cargo-handling services to airlines and portals that sell air tickets are struggling to pay employee salaries and manage overheads.

From Quartz

Last week, though, UCSD researchers who’ve been interested in the privacy implications of the data attempted to gain access to the city’s portal and couldn’t.

From Voice of San Diego

The plus is that users will often visit the site using both search queries and aggregators or news portals.

From Search Engine Watch

The moment where they enter the spirit portal symbolizes their evolution from being friends to being a couple.

From The Daily Beast

Finally, we came to the ornately carved temple portal itself, adorned with an image of a snake to its side.

From The Daily Beast

The portal will have a system of simultaneous translation in three languages including English.

From The Daily Beast

Bonus Tip: Be aware of Equity Crowdfunding Coming to a Portal Near You!

From The Daily Beast

I was very young and I thought that the whole experience was a wonderful adventure and a glimmering portal to the future.

From The Daily Beast

The first subject chosen by her for a picture was the "Portal of the Church of the Magdalene."

From Project Gutenberg

The gigantic pylon, its shoulders breaking the sky four-square far overhead, seemed the prodigious portal of another world.

From Project Gutenberg

Beside autocratic kingship it shines with a white light; it is obviously the portal of the future.

From Project Gutenberg

How can it have happened that terms are still wanting to express the portal of all the sciences?

From Project Gutenberg

Nevertheless she had to pass through the dark portal of death before she was assumed, body and soul, into heaven.

From Project Gutenberg