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REFERENCE

portal

n. · v.
US //ˈpɔɹtəɫ// UK //pˈɔːtəl// por·tal
  1. 1 grand entrance (n.)
    C1 Advanced Formal

    a large, impressive, or grand entrance to a building like a church or palace.

    a grand or imposing entrance to a building, often featuring ornate architectural details.

    Example

    The cathedral's stone portal was decorated with beautiful statues of saints.

    Example

    The architect designed a massive limestone portal to serve as the primary focal point of the university's new library facade.
  2. 2 internet gateway (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Computing

    a website that acts as a main starting point for many other pages and services.

    a website or web application that functions as a central point of access to various information, tools, and links.

    Example

    Students can check their grades and schedule through the university portal.

    Example

    The corporate portal provides employees with a single sign-on interface to access payroll, benefits, and internal project management tools.
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  1. 3 magical doorway (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a magical or sci-fi doorway that lets you travel instantly to another place or time.

    a fictional aperture or gateway allowing for instantaneous travel between distant locations, dimensions, or points in time.

    Example

    In the movie, the hero steps through a glowing portal to reach another planet.

    Example

    The narrative relies on the discovery of an ancient portal that connects the protagonist's world to a parallel dimension.
  2. 4 liver vein (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Medicine

    a specific vein that carries blood into the liver.

    relating to the porta hepatis; specifically the portal vein which conducts blood from the gastrointestinal tract to the liver.

    Example

    The doctor explained how the portal vein moves blood to the liver.

    Example

    Portal hypertension can lead to significant clinical complications, including the development of varices in the digestive tract.

  3. 5 to travel via portal (v.)
    C1 Advanced Informal Slang

    to move from one place to another using a magical or high-tech doorway.

    to teleport or transition between locations via a portal; primarily used in gaming or speculative fiction contexts.

    Example

    The character portalled back to the city to buy more supplies.

    Example

    Players often portal across the map to avoid lengthy travel times between quest objectives.
Origin

From Middle English portal, porttol, from Old French portal and Medieval Latin portāle, from porta.

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