Dictionary.com
definitions

porte-cochere

or porte-co·chère

[pawrt-koh-shair, -kuh-, pohrt-]
noun
  1. a covered carriage entrance leading into a courtyard.
  2. a porch at the door of a building for sheltering persons entering and leaving carriages.

Origin of porte-cochere

1690–1700; < French: gate for coaches
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for porte-cochere

Historical Examples of porte-cochere

  • I leaned now against the porte-cochere, and mopped myself vigorously.

  • There was a closed car waiting at one side of the porte-cochere.

    Nobody

    Louis Joseph Vance

  • "I think I am mad, Bouvard," answered Minoret from the steps of the porte-cochere.

    Ursula

    Honore de Balzac

  • This key will admit you to the side door under the porte-cochere.

    Pollyanna

    Eleanor H. Porter

  • Under the porte-cochere she found the doctor waiting in his gig.

    Pollyanna

    Eleanor H. Porter

British Dictionary definitions for porte-cochere

porte-cochere

noun
  1. a large covered entrance for vehicles leading into a courtyard
  2. a large roof projecting over a drive to shelter travellers entering or leaving vehicles

Word Origin for porte-cochere

C17: from French: carriage entrance, from porte gateway + coche coach
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 porte-cochere
n.

gateway for carriages, 1690s, from French porte-cochère, from porte "gate" (see port (n.2)) + cochère, fem. adjective from coche "coach" (see coach (n.)).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper