podium

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin podium, from Ancient Greek πόδιον (pódion, “base”), from diminutive of πούς (poús, “foot”). Doublet of pew.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpəʊ.diəm/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊdiəm

Noun

podium (plural podiums or podia)

1. A platform on which to stand, as when conducting an orchestra or preaching at a pulpit; any low platform or dais.
2. (sometimes proscribed) A stand used to hold notes when speaking publicly.
3. (sports and other competitions) A steepled platform upon which the three competitors with the best results may stand when being handed their medals or prize.
4. (sports) A result amongst the best three at a competition.
   • 2020 September 13, Andrew Benson, “Tuscan Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton claims 90th win after incredible race”, in BBC Sport‎:

     Red Bull's Thai-British driver Alex Albon took a maiden podium in third.

5. A low wall, serving as a foundation, a substructure, or a terrace wall.
   1. The dwarf wall surrounding the arena of an amphitheatre, from the top of which the seats began.
   2. The masonry under the stylobate of a temple, sometimes a mere foundation, sometimes containing chambers.
6. The lower portion of a high-rise building, typically of several storeys tall and acts as a foundation to the tower(s) above it.
7. (botany, anatomy) A foot or footstalk.

Usage notes

Some people object to the “stand for holding notes” sense on the grounds that because of its etymology, podium ought to refer to something that is stood upon (or that at least pertains to the feet in some way), and that lectern should be used instead, as it refers to “reading”. However, this use is well established in US English and reported without comment in US dictionaries.

Synonyms

• (stand used to hold notes when speaking publicly): lectern

Derived terms

• podium position

Translations

Verb

podium (third-person singular simple present podiums, present participle podiuming, simple past and past participle podiumed)

1. (sports, colloquial) To finish in the top three at an event or competition.

   The swimmer podiumed three times at the Olympics.

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpoː.di.(j)ʏm/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

podium n (plural podia or podiums, diminutive podiumpje n)

1. (art, music, theater) stage

Derived terms

• erepodium
• hoofdpodium
• podiumbeest
• podiumkunst
• poppodium

Further reading

• “podium” in Woordenlijst Nederlandse Taal – Officiële Spelling, Nederlandse Taalunie.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin podium. Doublet of puy.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɔ.djɔm/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

podium m (plural podiums or podia)

1. podium

Descendants

• → Turkish: podyum

Further reading

• “podium”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

Latin

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek πόδιον (pódion, “base”), from diminutive of πούς (poús, “foot”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈpo.di.um/,
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈpo.di.um/,

Noun

podium n (genitive podiī or podī); second declension

1. balcony, especially in an amphitheatre

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

¹Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).

Descendants

References

• “podium”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “podium”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• podium in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• podium in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “podium”, in The Perseus Project (1999) Perseus Encyclopedia‎
• “podium”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “podium”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin

Norwegian Bokmål

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

podium n (definite singular podiet, indefinite plural podier, definite plural podia or podiene)

1. podium
2. a dais, raised platform

References

• “podium” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

podium n (definite singular podiet, indefinite plural podium, definite plural podia)

1. podium
2. a dais, raised platform

References

• “podium” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:

podium

Wikipedia ^pl

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin podium, from Ancient Greek πόδιον (pódion, “base”), from diminutive of πούς (poús, “foot”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɔ.djum/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔdjum
• Syllabification: po‧dium

Noun

podium n

1. podium

Declension

Further reading

• podium in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• podium in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin podium.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpo.djum/

Noun

podium n (plural podiumuri)

1. podium

Declension

Further reading

• podium in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin podium.

Noun

podium n

1. podium

Declension

References

• podium in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• podium in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• podium in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)