Balcony Meaning
/ˈbælkəni/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn accessible structure extending from a building, especially outside a window.
nounAn accessible structure overlooking a stage or the like.
Sentence Examples
Sure enough, the ghost appeared on the balcony.
I'm on the balcony.
CEFR Practice Quiz
From the hotel ____, we had a wonderful view of the ocean and the beach.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We sat on the ____ and watched the sunset over the deep ocean.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *balkô Frankish *balkōbor. Medieval Latin balcōbor. Italian balconebor. English balcony From Italian balcone (“balcony, floor-length window”), from Old Italian balcone (“scaffold”) from Lombardic *balk, *balko (“beam”), from Proto-Germanic *balkô (“beam”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵ- (“beam, pile, prop”). Akin to Old High German balco, balcho (“beam”), Old English balca (“beam, ridge”). More at balk.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"I sprang a step forward; when two shadows were distinctly traced on the moonlit myrtle! Then two figures stood upon the balcony. A young cavalier jumped from the balustrade, and hurried down the path that led to the garden, where I well remember a gate opened on an unfrequented lane."
— 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 132:
"Its old town rises out of the Aegean Sea towards a clifftop Venetian castle in a jumble of white-washed narrow streets, flat rooftops and balconies that provide a perfect, obstacle-filled arena for parkour."
— 2022 June 16, Issy Ronald, “Meet the parkour athletes defying fear and gravity at Red Bull Art of Motion”, in CNN, archived from the original on 26 Jun 2022:
"No security cameras were monitoring the second-floor balcony where thieves gained access to the Louvre to steal historic jewels worth over $100 million, the museum’s director told a French Senate committee hearing."
— 2025 October 23, Pierre P Bairin, Catherine Nicholls, Hilary Whiteman, “No security cameras covered Louvre balcony where thieves entered, director says”, in CNN, archived from the original on 28 Nov 2025:
"Sepia Delft tiles surrounded the fireplace, their crudely drawn Biblical scenes in faded cyclamen blending with the pinkish pine, while above them, instead of a mantelshelf, there was an archway high enough to form a balcony with slender balusters and a tapestry-hung wall behind."
— 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 3, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
From the hotel ____, we had a wonderful view of the ocean and the beach.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We sat on the ____ and watched the sunset over the deep ocean.