LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefourth declension

porticus

porticus f (genitive porticūs)
Classical[ˈpɔr.tɪ.kʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈpɔr.ti.kus]

Meaning

  1. femininecolonnade, arcade
  2. feminineportico, porch

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeporticusporticūs
genitiveporticūsporticuum
dativeporticuīporticibus
accusativeporticumporticūs
ablativeporticūporticibus
vocativeporticusporticūs

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

redimere, conducere porticum aedificandam (Div. 2. 21. 47)
to undertake a contract for building a portico.

portĭcus, ūs, f. (also heteroclit.
I. acc. plur. PORTICOS, Inscr. Orell. 4043) [porta], a walk covered by a roof supported on columns, a colonnade, piazza, arcade, gallery, porch, portico, = στοά.
I. Lit.: omnes porticus commetiri, Plaut. Most. 3, 3, 7: porticum aedificare, id. ib. 3, 2, 69; Cic. Att. 4, 16, 14: inambulare in porticu, id. Rep. 1, 12, 18: viae latae, porticus, etc., id. ib. 3, 31, 43: porticuum laxitas, Suet. Calig. 37: porticuum, id. Dom. 14; Vitr. 5, 1: in amplis porticibus, Verg. A. 3, 353; cf. id. ib. 2, 528: me porticus excepit, Hor. S. 1, 4, 134; id. Ep. 1, 1, 71: porticus, in quā gestetur dominus, Juv. 7, 178: triplex, Vulg. Ezech. 42, 3.—In the upper story, Dig. 39, 2, 47.—
II. Transf. *
A. The entrance or porch of a tent (poet.): saucii opplent porticus, the porches, Att. ap. Cic. Tusc. 2, 16, 38.—
B. A weather-board, shed, Col. 9 praef. § 2; 9, 7, 4; 9, 14, 14.—
2. A long shed or gallery to protect soldiers in sieges, Caes. B. C. 2, 2, 3.—
3. The Porch or Portico, meaning the school of the Stoics (from στοά, porch, the place where Zeno taught); hence, transf., the Stoic philosophy, the Stoics: Chrysippus, qui fulcire putatur porticum Stoicorum, Cic. Ac. 2, 24, 75; cf. Hor. S. 2, 3, 44: clamat Zeno et tota illa porticus tumultuatur, Cic. Fragm. ap. Aug. contr. Ac. 3, 7; Gell. 12, 5, 10.

Origins

From porta (“gate, entrance”) + -icus. The expected form would be first declension *portica, porticae or, second declension *porticus, porticī; compare manica and pedica. The ending might have been influenced by fourth declension domus and/or portus as well as by Ancient Greek στοά f (stoá).

Descendants
  • Catalanporxo
  • Sardinianporciufrom Catalan porxo
  • Sardinianprociufrom Catalan porxo
  • Spanishporchefrom Catalan porxo
  • Catalanporxe
  • Italianportico
  • Englishporticofrom Italian portico
  • Occitanpòrge
  • Frenchporchefrom Old French porche
  • Englishporchfrom Old French porche

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesPorticusPorticus (στοὰ) is a building of which the roof is supported at least on one side by columns; it is thus open to the air, but protected from sun and r…

Quick answers

What does porticus mean in Latin?
porticus, a noun, means “colonnade, arcade; portico, porch”.
What is the genitive of porticus?
The genitive singular is porticūs. porticus is feminine, fourth declension.
How do you pronounce porticus?
In classical Latin, [ˈpɔr.tɪ.kʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈpɔr.ti.kus].