torii

[ tawr-ee-ee ]

/ ˈtɔr iˌi /

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noun, plural to·ri·i.

(in Japan) a form of decorative gateway or portal, consisting of two upright wooden posts connected at the top by two horizontal crosspieces, commonly found at the entrance to Shinto shrines.

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Origin of torii

First recorded in 1720–30; from Japanese, equivalent to tori “bird” + (w)i “perch”

Words nearby torii

tori, toric, toric lens, Tories, to rights, torii, Torino, Tormé, torment, tormentil, tormentor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use torii in a sentence

Shinjiro Torii built the first whisky distillery in Japan in 1923 at Yamazaki on the island of Honshu.
Watch Out, Scotland! Japanese Whisky Is on the Rise|Kayleigh Kulp|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There is, first, the wooden archway (called torii, or toriwi) through which one passes in approaching the temples.
The Shinto Cult|Milton Spenser Terry
They are approached through archways (called torii, or toriwi) of simple construction.
The Shinto Cult|Milton Spenser Terry
Occasionally a shrine was visible within, and the obligatory Torii stood at the edge of the grove, or within its first limits.
An Artist's Letters From Japan|John La Farge

Looking through a Torii one is sure to be in the direction of something sacred, whether it be temple or shrine or holy mountain.
An Artist's Letters From Japan|John La Farge
Then the temple attendants brushed with brooms the mosses of the pavement about the Torii, and the gates were closed.
An Artist's Letters From Japan|John La Farge

British Dictionary definitions for torii

torii

/ (ˈtɔːrɪˌiː) /

noun plural -rii

a gateway, esp one at the entrance to a Japanese Shinto temple

Word Origin for torii

C19: from Japanese, literally: a perch for birds

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