portico

Where does the word "portico" come from? It comes from Latin porticus, passing through Italian before entering English (1600s).

Portico’s story begins in Latin: porticus meant “a covered walkway.” A covered walkway or porch, from porta (a gate, a passage). By 1600s, the word had taken hold in Italian as portico. Settled in Italian for a roofed structure supported by columns. It reached English by 1600s as portico. Palladio's villas made columned porticos fashionable in English country houses. Today, portico means a porch or covered entrance with a roof supported by columns.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient porticus "a covered walkway", a covered walkway or porch, from porta (a gate, a passage).
2. Stage 2 · Italian · 1600s portico "a roofed structure supported by columns", settled in Italian for a roofed structure supported by columns.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1600s portico "a porch with a roof supported by columns", Palladio's villas made columned porticos fashionable in English country houses.