portal

¹

[pawr-tl, pohr-]

noun

1. a door, gate, or entrance, especially one of imposing appearance, as to a palace.

   Synonyms: threshold, entry, doorway, entranceway

2. an iron or steel bent for bracing a framed structure, having curved braces between the vertical members and a horizontal member at the top.

3. an entrance to a tunnel or mine.

4. Computers.,  a website that functions as an entry point to the internet, as by providing useful content and linking to various sites and features on the World Wide Web.

portal

²

[pawr-tl, pohr-]

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to the transverse fissure of the liver.

noun

1. portal vein.

portal

/ ˈpɔːtəl /

noun

1. an entrance, gateway, or doorway, esp one that is large and impressive

2. any entrance or access to a place

3. computing an internet site providing links to other sites

adjective

1. anatomy

   1. of or relating to a portal vein

      hepatic portal system

   2. of or relating to a porta

portal

1. A Web site that provides a gateway to other Web sites.

Other Word Forms

• portaled adjective
• portalled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of portal¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English portale, from Medieval Latin, noun use of neuter of portālis “of a gate.” See portal ²

Origin of portal²

First recorded in 1605–15, portal is from the Medieval Latin word portālis of a gate. See port ⁴, -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of portal¹

C14: via Old French from Medieval Latin portāle, from Latin porta gate, entrance

Example Sentences

Dent said part of Cronin’s recruiting pitch after he entered the transfer portal was playing faster, helping the team convert turnovers into transition points.

From Los Angeles Times

"Ancient DNA libraries are like portals to the past; they can reveal fascinating insights about life as it was and life as we know it to be," he says.

From BBC

With “Dead” as portal, we enter a carefree, semi-disembodied afterlife on the dancefloor where not much matters but the beat and the matter-of-fact vocal jolting it into place.

From Los Angeles Times

But Prang said by 2050, he expects there to be a single portal that consolidates all the applications and checkpoints required, so new developments can be green-lit in weeks or months, not years.

From Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles has portals to its future sprinkled across the city: Silicon Beach.

From Los Angeles Times