Main Entry: ¹por·tal

Pronunciation: \ˈpȯr-t^əl\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin portale city gate, porch, from neuter of portalis of a gate, from Latin porta gate — more at port

Date: 14th century

1 : door, entrance; especially : a grand or imposing one
2 : the whole architectural composition surrounding and including the doorways and porches of a church
3 : the approach or entrance to a bridge or tunnel
4 : a communicating part or area of an organism; specifically : the point at which something (as a pathogen) enters the body
5 : a site serving as a guide or point of entry to the World Wide Web and usually including a search engine or a collection of links to other sites arranged especially by topic