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stoa

American  
[stoh-uh] / ˈstoʊ ə /

noun

  • stoas,
    plural
  • stoai,
    plural
  • stoae
    plural
  1. Greek Architecture. a portico, usually a detached portico of considerable length, that is used as a promenade or meeting place.


stoa British  
/ ˈstəʊə /

noun

  1. a covered walk that has a colonnade on one or both sides, esp as used in ancient Greece

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of stoa

First recorded in 1595–1605, stoa is from the Greek word stoá

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The Stoics were so named because Zeno instructed his students in the stoa poikile, or “painted porch” in the Athenian agora.

From Textbooks Apr. 19, 2023

The Stoics were so called, because their founder gave his lectures in the Athenian stoa, or porch, called “Pœ´cilê.”

From Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama A Revised American Edition of the Reader's Handbook, Vol. 3 by Ebenezer Cobham Brewer

Clap her aboard to morrow night, and stoa her, And all's made up againe.

From The Two Noble Kinsmen by Shakespeare (spurious and doubtful works)

Finally, immediately to the north of this western stoa there is an extensive house of Roman times also connected with baths.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 5 "Arculf" to "Armour, Philip" by Various

The senate was seated in the arcade or stoa in the market-place, since the Cadmeia was in possession of the women who were celebrating the Thesmophoria.

From Hellenica by Henry Graham Dakyns

One of six stoas in the Agora, the Painted Stoa received its popular name when the greatest artists of the time were commissioned to decorate it with murals depicting great mythical and historical battles.

From Time Magazine Archive

Thus the most famous works of Polygnotus adorned the inner faces of the walls of temples and stoas.

From A History of Greek Art by Frank Bigelow Tarbell

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