Porch and Portico Guard the Same Doorway
A porch is a covered entrance to a building. The word comes from the Latin for gate, and gave its name to a school of philosophy.
A porch is a covered structure sheltering the entrance to a building. Latin *porticus*, a covered walkway, gave both *porch* and *portico*, and it also named a philosophy: the Stoics were called that because Zeno taught under the *Stoa Poikile*, the painted porch in Athens. A school of thought took its name from a piece of architecture. In American usage a porch is often a full veranda along the front of a house; in British usage it is usually just the small covered entrance.
- A covered entrance. *A front porch.*
- A veranda (US). *Sitting on the porch.*
- Portico — a columned porch. *A grand portico.*
- Stoa — the Greek covered walk. *A stoa.*
- Latin — *porta*, a gate. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | porch | A porch. |
| Plural | porches | Porches. |
| Related | portico | A portico. |
| Latin | porticus | A colonnade. |
| Latin | porta | A gate. |
- They waited under the porch out of the rain.Shelter.
- The house has a wide front porch.American.
- The Stoics were named for a porch.Philosophy.
The porta family
- Porch — a covered gateway
- Portico — a colonnaded porch
- Portal — a grand doorway
- Porter — originally a gatekeeper, not a carrier
- Port — a harbour, the gateway of a coast
Old French *porche*, from Latin *porticus*, a covered gallery, from *porta*, a gate.
Why are Stoics named after a porch?
Zeno of Citium taught at the Stoa Poikile, the painted porch in the Athenian agora, and his followers took the building's name.
Is a porter related to a porch?
The gatekeeper sense is, from porta, a gate. The porter who carries luggage comes from Latin portare, to carry, a different word.