Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

portcullis

/pɔɹtˈkʌl.ɪs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.16 in modern English

Syllables
portcullis
IPA
/pɔɹtˈkʌl.ɪs/
14
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
1
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A gate in the form of a grating which is lowered into place at the gateway of a castle, a fort, etc.

noun

An old English coin from the reign of Elizabeth I, minted for the use of the East India Company, and bearing the picture of a portcullis on the reverse.

verb

To obstruct with, or as with, a portcullis; to shut; to bar.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English portcolyse, from Old French porte colëice, from porte (“door”) + feminine of colëiz (“sliding”), ultimately from Latin colāre.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /pɔɹtˈkʌl.ɪs/
  • British English: /pɔːtˈkʌl.ɪs/

Inflected Forms

portcullises (plural) portcullisses (plural) portculli (plural, rare) portscullis (plural, rare) percullice (alternative, archaic) portclose (alternative, archaic) portculleis (alternative, archaic) portculles (alternative, archaic) port cullis (alternative, archaic) port-cullis (alternative, archaic) portcluse (alternative, obsolete) portculis (alternative, rare)

Frequently Paired Words

barbican porte cochère

Synonyms

cataract

Questions

How do you pronounce portcullis?
The recorded pronunciation is /pɔɹtˈkʌl.ɪs/.
What does portcullis mean?
A gate in the form of a grating which is lowered into place at the gateway of a castle, a fort, etc.
Where does portcullis come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce portcullis

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “portcullis”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/pɔɹtˈkʌl.ɪs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “portcullis”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “portcullis” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.