gallery

American  

[gal-uh-ree, gal-ree] / ˈgæl ə ri, ˈgæl ri /

noun

PLURAL

galleries

1. a raised area, often having a stepped or sloping floor, in a theater, church, or other public building to accommodate spectators, exhibits, etc.

2. the uppermost of such areas in a theater, usually containing the cheapest seats.

3. the occupants of such an area in a theater.

4. the general public, especially when regarded as having popular or uncultivated tastes.

5. any group of spectators or observers, as at a golf match, a Congressional session, etc.

6. a room, series of rooms, or building devoted to the exhibition and often the sale of works of art.

7. a long covered area, narrow and open at one or both sides, used especially as a walk or corridor.

8. Chiefly South Atlantic States.  a long porch or portico; veranda.

9. a long, relatively narrow room, especially one for public use.

10. a corridor, especially one having architectural importance through its scale or decorative treatment.

11. a raised, balconylike platform or passageway running along the exterior wall of a building inside or outside.

12. a large room or building used for photography, target practice, or other special purposes.

    a shooting gallery.

13. a collection of art for exhibition.

14. Theater.  a narrow, raised platform located beyond the acting area, used by stagehands or technicians to stand on when working.

15. Nautical.  a projecting balcony or structure on the quarter or stern of a vessel.

16. Furniture.  an ornamental railing or cresting surrounding the top of a table, stand, desk, etc.

17. Mining.  a level or drift.

18. a small tunnel in a dam, mine, or rock, for various purposes, as inspection or drainage.

19. a passageway made by an animal.

20. Fortification Obsolete.  an underground or covered passage to another part of a fortified position.

---

idioms

1. play to the gallery,  to attempt to appeal to the popular taste, as opposed to a more refined or esoteric taste.

   Movies, though still playing mainly to the gallery, have taken their place as a significant art form.

gallery British  

/ ˈɡælərɪ /

noun

1. a room or building for exhibiting works of art

2. a covered passageway open on one side or on both sides See also colonnade

3. 1. a balcony running along or around the inside wall of a church, hall, etc

   2. a covered balcony, sometimes with columns on the outside

4. theatre

   1. an upper floor that projects from the rear over the main floor and contains the cheapest seats

   2. the seats there

   3. the audience seated there

5. a long narrow room, esp one used for a specific purpose

   a shooting gallery

6. a building or room where articles are sold at auction

7. an underground passage, as in a mine, the burrow of an animal, etc

8. theatre a narrow raised platform at the side or along the back of the stage for the use of technicians and stagehands

9. (in a TV studio) a glass-fronted soundproof room high up to one side of the studio looking into it. One gallery is used by the director and an assistant and one is for lighting, etc

10. nautical a balcony or platform at the quarter or stern of a ship, sometimes used as a gun emplacement

11. a small ornamental metal or wooden balustrade or railing on a piece of furniture, esp one surrounding the top of a desk, table, etc

12. any group of spectators, as at a golf match

13. to try to gain popular favour, esp by crude appeals

---

gallery More Idioms  

1. see play to the gallery; rogues' gallery.

---

Other Word Forms

• galleried adjective
• gallerylike adjective
• ungalleried adjective

Etymology

Origin of gallery

1400–50; late Middle English < Old French galerie < Medieval Latin galeria, by dissimilation or suffix replacement from galilea, galilæa galilee

Example Sentences

A few signs of contraction have been glimpsed — a gallery closure here, a market slide there — but it won’t ever be small again.

From Los Angeles Times

Set in the Llanos de Moxos, a vast network of savannas, gallery forests, and floodplains that make up the largest wetland system in the Amazon basin, this area has inspired curiosity for centuries.

From Science Daily

The mural covers the walls of the museum’s Cabinet gallery, taking as inspiration the “Four Seasons” suite of François Boucher that is displayed just around the corner.

From The Wall Street Journal

A print by one of the 20th Century's most influential artists has become available for loan as part of a gallery's lending scheme.

From BBC

There have been longstanding calls to address the museum's capacity to accommodate crowds, with visitors often complaining of congested galleries and long queues.

From BBC

Related Words

• exhibit
• hall
• museum
• salon
• showroom
• studio