Dictionary

anteport en · NOUN

Etymology

Alteration influenced by ante- of Italian antiporta, from anti- (“preceding”) + porta (“gate, door”). Sense 1 may show an English innovation, translating Italian portiere in the 1625 quotation. By surface analysis, ante- + port.

Meanings

1. A hanging or covering in front of a door.
   • [T]he magnificent ex-voto realized by José de Paez in 1751, […] depicts a richly furnished bedroom, including a luxurious bed with folding screens, a painted cloth anteport and a fine imported carpet. 2002, The Grandeur of Viceregal Mexico: Treasures from the Museo Franz Mayer, Houston, Tex.: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Mexico City: Museo Franz Mayer, →ISBN, note 36, page 42, column 2:
   • 1 tapestry door-hanging,³ 6/8 [a. 1484?, The Port Books or Local Customs Accounts of Southampton for the Reign of Edward IV (Publications of the Southampton Record Society; 38), volume II, Southampton, Hampshire: Cox & Sharland, published 1938, →OCLC, page 107:
   • The Anteportaes [translating portiere] were of cloth of Gold of Burſia, and their borders of Crimſon Veluet, embroydered with Gold and Pearles: […] 1625, [Ottaviano Bon]; Robert Withers, [transl.], “The Grand Signiors Serraglio”, in [Samuel] Purchas, Purchas His Pilgrimes. […], 2nd part, London: […] William Stansby for Henrie Fetherstone, […], →OCLC, 9th book, § I (Description of the place, partitions, and manifold conueniences), page 1583, lines 17–19:
   • Reparo, o ante puerta, que es una pared ante la puerta [a protective screen or anteport, which is in fact a wall in front of the door]. 2006, W[eldon] South Coblin, Francisco Varo’s Glossary of the Mandarin Language (Monumenta Serica Monograph Series; LIII/I), volume 1 (An English and Chinese Annotation of the Vocabulario de la Lengua Mandarina), Sankt Augustin: Monumenta Serica Institute, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 489:
   • payed Mr Pearse 6 10 0 / and for painting Anteport 3 10 0 / upholster Anteport 1 5 5 1635 October, Nicholas Stone, “The Note-Book and Account Book of Nicholas Stone”, in Walter Lewis Spiers, edited by A[lexander] J[oseph] Finberg, The Seventh Volume of the Walpole Society, 1918–1919, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] [F]or the Walpole Society by Frederick Hall at the University Press, published 1919, →OCLC, page 103:
2. An outer or preliminary port, gate, or door.
   • Between the 5 large anti-ports are columns of enormous height and compass, with as many gates of brasse the worke and sculpture of Pollajuolo the Florentine, full of cast figures and histories in a deepe relievo. 1644 November 26 (Gregorian calendar), John Evelyn, “[Diary entry for 17 November 1644]”, in William Bray, editor, Memoirs, Illustrative of the Life and Writings of John Evelyn, […], 2nd edition, volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […]; and sold by John and Arthur Arch, […], published 1819, →OCLC, page 109:
   • In terms of the anteport material, the single-layer wooden door is usually used. However, some new buildings choose steel doors or metal insulation doors. 2017, J Y Dong, W Cheng, C P Ma, L S Xin, Y T Tan, “Thermal environment analysis and energy conservation research of rural residence in cold regions of China based on BIM platform”, in 3rd International Conference on Advances in Energy, Environment and Chemical Engineering (IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science; 69), Bristol: IOP Publishing, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2:
   • The plans were prepared by the eminent engineer, Adolfo Guerard, and what is wanted at once is the construction of a canal, port, and anteport, up to at least seven and a half meters depth; […] 1900 February 22, “Montevideo Harbor Plans”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 19 Jun 2025, page 4, column 3:

Forms

Relateds

anteportico

Translations (1)

pt anteporta (outer door)