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

Ella only started driving two years ago but has already competed in races all over the world, securing four podiums in her last F4 season.

From BBC

Jurado tried to make her way to a podium to address the jubilant crowd, but well-wishers kept pulling her aside for selfies or just to stand in her presence.

From Los Angeles Times

Attendees stood on the floor or in the balcony, bathed in blue lighting, watching MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki provide election night analysis on two wide screens flanking the speakers’ podium at the front of the room.

From Salon

This rule quirk potentially decided the race, and certainly disadvantaged Lando Norris and George Russell to the benefit of Max Verstappen and the Alpine drivers, who eventually finished on the podium.

From BBC

Throughout an election campaign, US voters are bombarded with images of the two candidates - speaking from podiums, greeting rally crowds and stepping down aircraft stairs.

From BBC

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?