portal

1 of 2

noun

por·​tal ˈpȯr-tᵊl 

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 (such as a pathogen) enters the body

5

: a website 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

portal

2 of 2

adjective

1

: of or relating to the transverse fissure on the underside of the liver where most of the vessels enter

2

: of, relating to, or being a portal vein or a portal system

portal circulation

Synonyms

Noun

• door
• gate
• hatch

Examples of portal in a Sentence

Noun

a Web portal for baseball fans

the main portal to the estate is an elaborate wrought iron gate on the side facing the road

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The future Hall of Famer riffed on a myriad of reasons for the weakened on-field product in the NFL; from more distractions off the field to the advent of the transfer portal in college football that allows players to freely jump from program to program. —Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 16 Aug. 2024

Driving the news: The independent group CLE Flag Project launched a voting portal Monday to let Clevelanders select their favorite. —Sam Allard, Axios, 13 Aug. 2024

His position coach, Kenny McClendon, moved to UConn to join Mora’s staff, and when Stafford put his name in the transfer portal, McClendon offered a chance to play FBS ball. —Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 11 Aug. 2024

The Buffs added a pair of impact pass-catchers via the transfer portal in LaJohntay Wester and Will Sheppard. —Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 10 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

Adjective

New Latin porta transverse fissure of the liver, from Latin, gate

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1754, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing portal

• portal system
• portal-to-portal
• portal vein

Kids Definition

portal

noun

por·​tal

ˈpōrt-ᵊl,

ˈpȯrt-

1

: a large or imposing door or entrance

2

: a website serving as a guide or point of entry to the Internet

Etymology

Noun

Middle English portal "door, the structure around a door," from early French portal (same meaning), derived from Latin portalis (adjective) "of a gate," from porta "gate, passage" — related to port entry 2

Medical Definition

portal

1 of 2 noun

por·​tal ˈpȯrt-ᵊl 

: a communicating part or area of an organism: as

a

: portal vein

b

: the point at which something enters the body

portals of infection

portal

2 of 2 adjective

1

: of or relating to the porta hepatis

2

: of, relating to, or being a portal vein or a portal system

portal blood

portal circulation

Biographical Definition

Portal

biographical name

Por·​tal ˈpȯr-tᵊl 

Charles Frederick Algernon 1893–1971 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford British air marshal