podium

¹

[ poh-dee-uhm ]

noun

, plural po·di·ums, po·di·a [poh, -dee-, uh].

1. a small platform for the conductor of an orchestra, a public speaker, the recipient of a sports medal, etc.
2. Architecture.
   1. a low wall forming a base for a construction, as a colonnade or dome.
   2. a stereobate for a classical temple, especially one with perpendicular sides.
   3. the masonry supporting a classical temple.
   4. a raised platform surrounding the arena of an ancient Roman amphitheater having on it the seats of privileged spectators.
3. lectern.
4. a counter or booth, as one at an airport for handling tickets or dispensing information.
5. Zoology, Anatomy. a foot.
6. Botany. a footstalk or stipe.

verb (used without object)

1. (in a sports competition) to finish first, second, or third and receive an award while standing on a podium:

   He’s podiumed in five of his past six races.

-podium

²

1. a combining form meaning “footlike part” of an organism, used in the formation of compound words:

   monopodium; pseudo-podium.

podium

¹

/ ˈpəʊdɪəm /

noun

1. a small raised platform used by lecturers, orchestra conductors, etc; dais
2. a plinth that supports a colonnade or wall
3. a low wall surrounding the arena of an ancient amphitheatre
4. zoology
   1. the terminal part of a vertebrate limb
   2. any footlike organ, such as the tube foot of a starfish

-podium

²

combining form

1. a part resembling a foot

   pseudopodium

Word History and Origins

Origin of podium¹

1605–15; < Latin: “elevated place, balcony” < Greek pódion “little foot,” equivalent to pod- pod- + -ion diminutive suffix. See pew

Origin of podium²

From New Latin; podium

Word History and Origins

Origin of podium¹

C18: from Latin: platform, balcony, from Greek podion little foot, from pous foot

Origin of podium²

from New Latin: footlike; see podium

Example Sentences

From a glass podium, she told the crowd that the election had been “stolen” and played up her efforts to fight gun control in Virginia, according to a video posted on her official Senate page, which Facebook suspended last week.

From Washington Post

In the hallways, some members of the mob carried signs from offices, tech trophies and even a podium.

From Time

While the IOC has repeatedly said protests don’t belong inside Olympic venues, on the playing field or on a medals podium, the organization has begun to explore other ways athletes can use their platforms to voice their opinions.

From Washington Post

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — who had himself a Zoom podium game — actually led the Lakers in scoring during the opening stanza, when Butler seemingly couldn’t be stopped.

From FiveThirtyEight

The real financial windfall for a successful runner is made through sponsorships, where finishing on the podium can gain an athlete millions of dollars in corporate backing.

From Fortune

Biden, after all, is known for his unbuttoned comments from the podium.

From The Daily Beast

By the time Gurira took her place at the Google podium to read from the play, the audience was primed for emotion.

From The Daily Beast

But King just stepped up to the podium and delivered one of the finest speeches of his life.

From The Daily Beast

Red tie and blue shirt-clad Paul walked casually in front of the audience and, like a normal person, stood behind the podium.

From The Daily Beast

On the outskirts of the partisan mayhem, a smaller crowd gathered as a heavy-set man strode up to a podium in front of them.

From The Daily Beast

No other seats were open to them unless they were of sufficient distinction to claim a place upon the podium.

From Project Gutenberg

It did him good, by contrast, to hear a hearty peal of laughter that came up from the lowest ranks of the podium.

From Project Gutenberg

The Cuban Ambassador, whose seat was nearest the podium, crossed the plush rail and rushed to Tabio's wheel chair.

From Project Gutenberg

Paintings and inscriptions covered the walls or podium of the arena.

From Project Gutenberg

A brick podium under the right end column of the Arch of Severus marks its site.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• dais
• platform
• rostrum
• stage

Words That Use -podium

What does -podium mean?

The combining form –podium is used like a suffix meaning “footlike part.” It is very occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in botany.

The form –podium comes from Greek pódion, meaning “little foot.” The Latin cognate of pódion is pēs, “foot,” and is the source of several combining forms related to the lower extremities, including –ped, –pede, and pedi–. Discover more at our Words That Use articles for each of these three forms.

What are variants of –podium?

The form -podium is a variant of –pode. It also shares an origin with the combining forms pod–, podo–, –pod, –poda, and –podous. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for all these forms.

Examples of -podium

One example of a scientific term that features the form –pode is monopodium, a technical term for the single trunk or stem some plants, such as orchids, have.

Mono- may look familiar to you; it means “one, single,” from Greek mónos. The form –podium means “footlike part.” Monopodium literally translates to “(organism with) one footlike part.”

What are some words that use the combining form –podium?

• filopodium
• lycopodium (using the equivalent form of –podium in Latin)
• parapodium
• pseudopodium
• stylopodium (using the equivalent form of –podium in Latin)
• sympodium (using the equivalent form of –podium in Greek)

What are some other forms that –podium may be commonly confused with?

• -pedia
• -penia
• -ploid

Break it down!

The combining form pseudo– means “false” or “pretend.” With this in mind, what is the part of a cell that is known as the pseudopodium?