Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A platform that projects from the wall of a building and is surrounded by a railing, balustrade, or parapet.
- n. A gallery that projects over the main floor in a theater or auditorium.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A stage or platform projecting from the wall of a building within or without, supported by columns, pillars, or consoles, and encompassed with a balustrade, railing, or parapet. Outer balconies are common before windows, and inner ones in ball-rooms, public halls, etc.
- n. In theaters, a gallery occupying various positions. In some theaters it is a raised tier of seats surrounding the parquette; in others it takes the place of the dress-circle; and in others still it is the gallery immediately behind or above the dress-circle.
Wiktionary
- n. An accessible structure extending from a building, especially outside a window.
- n. An accessible structure overlooking a stage.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Arch.) A platform projecting from the wall of a building, usually resting on brackets or consoles, and inclosed by a parapet. Also, a projecting gallery in places of amusement.
- n. A projecting gallery once common at the stern of large ships.
WordNet 3.0
- n. an upper floor projecting from the rear over the main floor in an auditorium
- n. a platform projecting from the wall of a building and surrounded by a balustrade or railing or parapet
Etymologies
- From Italian balcone "balcony, floor-length window" from Old Italian balcone "scaffold", from Lombardic *balko, *balkon- ("beam") from Proto-Germanic *balkô (“beam”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhelg'- (“beam, pile, prop”). Akin to Old High German balco, balcho ("beam"), Old English balca ("beam, ridge"). More at balk. (Wiktionary)
- Italian balcone, from Old Italian, scaffold, of Germanic origin. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Ha! No, seriously, I have great memories of a couple of dinners up there — and the balcony is a breathtaking place to watch a storm roll in. posted by Matthew @ 11: 47 AM”
“I'm right on what we call the balcony of the city," said Leal, the cafeteria owner.”
“The basic format, of a woman seated on a balcony, is inspired by the Mona Lisa, and there's a watery landscape abutting Eleonora's left side, that recalls a popular metaphor, the "lake of the heart"; there's even a left-sided half-smile.”
“The balcony is small and narrow, but on this cold and foggy March morning it does provide asomber view of the frozen expanse of St. Croix river and thebridge connecting Minnesota and Wisconsin.”
“It is a balcony from a village home that is nothing like a classic terrace overlooking a garden.”
“Many times a static balcony is simply not cost effective, confined by space or an available past option.”
“It's a warm spring here (27º Celsius right now) although this morning when I woke, since the balcony is still in shadow then, I left the house with a black cashmere sweater on.”
“No balcony any longer, alas, but being invited in for a week on the coast to talk with other poet-translators about poetry ... well, not having a balcony is not exactly something to complain about.”
“But me, well it's all my idea of heaven, I'm counting the days and my junior suite with private balcony is waiting for me.”
“At 11: 00 pm on that September, 1910, President Porfirio Díaz stood on the main balcony of the National Palace, and once again rang the same bell Hidalgo had rung in Dolores.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘balcony’.
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Yazhinni Spelling bee
tongue, stallion, scruple, salinity, schedule, rouge, populist, Permian, perspire, pasteurize, multitude, mournful and 227 more...
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Realia from Everywhere
Culturally defined terms and expressions from the four corners of the world
fjord, mistral steppe, tornado, tsunami, polder, kiwi, koala, sequoia, Abominable Snowman, paprika, spaghetti, empanada and 299 more...
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colleen's words
yellow, green, pie, blue, fur, people, incense, book, brown, avuncular, mountain, fog and 1316 more...
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Rilakkuma's list
The Velvetine Ruffians
gamine, waif, ruffian, villain, rake, libertine, velvetine, luminary, nom de plume, street urchin, epicurean, eventide and 256 more...
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Just 'cause I like 'em, B
bloviate, bejesus, brouhaha, behoove, bodacious, bamboozle, banshee, bub, bolus, blob, bubbly, bleb and 414 more...
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Words Covered in Faery Dust (B)
words that evoke magic, mystery, mayhem, magnificence or anything else that glimmers in the grass
balcony, bailey, baguette, bairn, balalaika, baldric, balefire, baby's breath, ballet, balm of gilead, balsam, baluster and 188 more...
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adrift's Words
alluvial, motley, amygdala, skein, echo, lucent, evening, clasp, weft, ruinous, waver, eave and 122 more...
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castles made of sand
Or, architectural terms I love
minaret, rococo, crenellation, caryatid, rampart, citadel, esplanade, promenade, castle, parapet, turret, balcony and 2 more...
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An odd menagerie
Some of the creatures found in the Octopus's Garden.
vamoose, snowcat, moscow, firefox, jailbird, sawhorse, bumblepuppy, shoofly, hangdog, megabuck, engraven, brickbat and 49 more...
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accomodation
key, mirror, garden, balcony, bathroom, blanket, dishwasher, refrigerator, bed sheet, deposit, duplex, vacuum cleaner and 12 more...
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elbow room
sundry chambers
mezzanine, loggia, rotunda, alcove, nave, breakfast nook, antechamber, priest hole, vestibule, cloakroom, boudoir, scullery and 37 more...
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Room At The Inn
Words to do with hotels, inns, resorts, guesthouses ... broad in scope :-)
no-show, guesthouse, booking, room, single, double, triple, restaurant, concierge, laundry service, turn-down, porter and 81 more...
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molotov
chiaroscuro, sitzbank, cigarette, balcony, sláinte, alfresco, *punch*, grin, babble, molotov, c'mere, kitschy and 57 more...
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persian words in english
words originally derived from persian that have made it to english sometimes with several stops in intermediate languages
balcony, algorithm, arsenic, aubergine, azure, baghdad, beige, bombast, borax, bronze, caftan, calabash and 79 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for balcony.
fbharjo Etymology: balaakhana from Persian balaa = above + khana = house, upperhouse Aug 30, 2009