portal

/'pɔ:tl/
Học thuật
Thân thiện
portal

The traveler steps through the ancient stone portal into a sunlit courtyard.

Definition
  1. Noun:
    • A grand and imposing entrance: A large, often decorative doorway or gateway to a building, especially one that is impressive or significant.
    • A website serving as a gateway: A site on the internet that functions as a main point of entry to a network of other sites or services, often providing features like search engines, email, and forums.
    • A short vein carrying blood to the liver: In anatomy, a vein that conducts blood from the capillaries of one organ to the capillaries of another organ, specifically the hepatic portal vein.
Usage Examples
  • Noun (Entrance):
    • The ancient stone portal of the castle stood twenty feet high.
    • They passed through the ornate portal into the great hall.
  • Noun (Website):
    • In the early days of the web, Yahoo! was a major internet portal.
    • The company's employee portal provides access to all internal resources.
  • Noun (Anatomy):
    • The portal vein carries nutrient-rich blood from the digestive organs to the liver.
Advanced Usage
  • "Portal to": Used metaphorically to describe an entrance or gateway to a different state, realm, or experience.
    • The old book was a portal to a forgotten world of magic.
    • Education is often seen as a portal to a better life.
Variants and Related Words
  • Portal vein (n): Specifically, the hepatic portal vein in anatomy.
  • Portaled or Portalled (adj): Having a portal or portals. (Less common)
  • Portcullis (n): A heavy grating lowered to block a gateway. (A related type of defensive gate)
Synonyms
  • Gateway: An opening for a gate; an entrance that may serve as a point of access.
  • Entrance: A door, gate, or other opening used for entering.
  • Doorway: An entrance with a door.
  • Hub: A central point of activity or network (for the website sense).
Related Phrases
  • Portal frame: A structural frame, often used in building construction.
  • Portal hypertension: A medical condition involving high blood pressure in the portal vein system.
Idioms and Metaphorical Use
  • "The portals of heaven/success/etc.": A poetic or formal way to refer to the entrance or threshold to a significant, often abstract, place or state.
    • He felt he was standing at the portals of a great adventure.
    • Her graduation opened the portals to her professional career.
portal

The traveler steps through the ancient stone portal into a sunlit courtyard.

Noun
  1. a short vein that carries blood into the liver
  2. a site that the owner positions as an entrance to other sites on the internet
    • a portal typically has search engines and free email and chat rooms etc.
  3. a grand and imposing entrance (often extended metaphorically)
    • the portals of the cathedral
    • the portals of heaven
    • the portals of success