A lot of London beggars sleep in London shop portals. What I mean is: they sleep outside the shop and its portal prevents them from getting wet when it rains. Also, they usually cover themselves with newspapers because they give them more warmth.
This is what I mean, please look at the picture:
Just look at the entrance on the right.
Is portal the correct word for this?
@Torsten, @NearlyNapping, @Arinker, @Alan what would you say?
Thanks in advance.
I’ve never heard the word portal used for that in AmE. We use the same word you did, ‘entrance’. I suppose if you want to get technical, the entrance is the opening, and the door is the thing you open.
Also, entranceway and doorway are used, but rarely. Doorway is used somewhat more than entranceway.
Portal also means doorway, gate, entrance etc in BrE.
So, the usage is correct and acceptable.
My association with the term “shop portals” are online platforms like Amazon, Alibaba or eBay.
I would say “sleeping in the doorway.”
“Portal” seems a bit formal, maybe technical. I wonder what an architect would call it.
Thank you all for your wonderful answers.
A similar word is portico. I looked up portal and portico. They seem to have overlapping meanings in architecture. They both refer to small covered entryways.
In AmE neither word is used by laymen. I have never heard the word portal used in this way. I have heard the word portico used but very rarely. In AmE we would just call it a covered entryway or maybe a covered porch.
Both words are related to portcullis and even porthole.
Thank you for your answer NN.
