WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Bal"co*ny
Part of Speech : n.;
Etymology : [It. balcone; cf. It. balco, palco, scaffold, fr. OHG. balcho, pa, beam, G. balken. See Balk beam.]
Definition : 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).

pl. Balconies.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913