Porticos

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A series of columns supporting a roof-like structure at the entrance of a building
2. A covered walkway typically supported by columns, offering shelter and a transitional space from outdoors to indoors
3. An architectural feature consisting of a roof extending over a space, often used to enhance the aesthetics of a facade

Etymology: "Porticos" is the plural of "portico," a columned porch or colonnade at the entrance of a building. The singular has an older, more self-explanatory root: Latin "porticus" meant "porch," and it was formed from "porta," "gate" or "doorway," the same root that gives English words like "porter," the keeper of a gate. Put simply, a portico is a structure built around the idea of a gateway. The Latin word passed into Italian as "portico," and English borrowed it from there, which is why the plural keeps the Italian-style "-os" ending that many English speakers treat as the default. Architects in English typically write "porticoes" as well, so both spellings are in use. Oddly, English has a close relative in "porch," which descends from the same Latin "porticus" by a more worn-down path through Old French. The two words are doublets: one came into English directly from Italian-influenced architectural writing, the other from everyday French speech, and they ended up meaning nearly the same thing.

Synonyms: porches, verandas, galleries, pavilions, arcades