balcony

Bal"co*ny, n.; pl. Balconies. Etym: [It. balcone; cf. It. balco, palco, scaffold, fr. OHG. balcho, pa, beam, G. balken. See Balk beam.] 1. (Arch.) Defn: A platform projecting from the wall of a building, usually resting on brackets or consoles, and inclosed by a parapet; as, a balcony in front of a window. Also, a projecting gallery in places of amusement; as, the balcony in a theater. 2. A projecting gallery once common at the stern of large ships. Note: "The accent has shifted from the second to the first syllable within these twenty years." Smart (1836).

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