Perrons

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A raised platform or section of a railway station where passengers wait for trains to arrive or depart
2. A distinct area in transportation hubs designated for boarding or disembarking from vehicles such as trains
3. An elevated structure at train stations intended for facilitating passenger movement to and from trains

Etymology: "Perrons" is the plural of "perron", a word that has moved from a stone step to a railway platform. The singular entered English from Middle French "pierre", meaning "stone", which was itself taken from Anglo-Norman "perron". The original sense was a flight of outdoor steps, often of stone, leading up to a building's entrance, and the word kept that architectural meaning for centuries. The railway sense is a later application of the same idea: a raised area that lifts passengers up to the level of a train's doors. The word did not change its shape, only its setting, so a station platform is in effect a stone staircase laid flat and stretched along the track.

Synonyms: stairs, steps, stairway, stairs outside, stoops