gallery

n., pl., -ies.

1. A roofed promenade, especially one extending along the wall of a building and supported by arches or columns on the outer side.
2. A long enclosed passage, such as a hallway or corridor.
3. 1. A narrow balcony, usually having a railing or balustrade, along the outside of a building.
   2. A projecting or recessed passageway along an upper story on the interior or exterior of a large building, generally marked by a colonnade or arcade.
   3. Such a passageway situated over the aisle of a church and opening onto the nave. Also called tribune.
4. Southwestern Gulf States. See veranda.
5. 1. An upper section, often with a sloping floor, projecting from the rear or side walls of a theater or an auditorium to provide additional seating.
   2. The seats in such a section, usually cheaper than those on the main floor.
   3. The cheapest seats in a theater, generally those of the uppermost gallery.
   4. The audience occupying a gallery or cheap section of a theater.
6. A large audience or group of spectators, as at a tennis or golf match.
7. The general public, usually considered as exemplifying a lack of discrimination or sophistication: accused the administration of playing to the gallery on the defense issue.
8. 1. A building, an institution, or a room for the exhibition of artistic work.
   2. An establishment that displays and sells works of art.
   3. A photographer's studio.
9. A collection; an assortment: The trial featured a gallery of famous and flamboyant witnesses.
10. 1. An underground tunnel or passageway, as in a cave or one dug for military or mining purposes.
    2. A passage made by a tunneling insect or animal.
11. Nautical. A platform or balcony at the stern or quarters of some early sailing ships.
12. A decorative upright trimming or molding along the edge of a table top, tray, or shelf.

[Middle English galerie, from Old French, from Old North French galilee, galilee. See galilee.]

galleried gal'ler·ied adj.

REGIONAL NOTE   In Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, an open roofed porch that runs along at least one side of a house has been called a gallery: "Out on the small front gallery she had hung Bobinôt's Sunday clothes to air" (Kate Chopin). Craig M. Carver, the author of American Regional Dialects, points out that the word gallery, from Old French galerie, was borrowed into British English in the 15th century and was brought over to the American colonies by English-speaking settlers. Although the word in the sense "porch" did not survive in the American English of the East Coast, it was borrowed separately, probably from Acadian French, into the English of 18th-century Louisiana and there survived as part of the Southwestern Gulf dialect.

For more information on gallery, visit Britannica.com.

1. A long, covered area acting as a corridor inside or on the exterior of a building, or between buildings.
2. An elevated area, interior or exterior, e.g., minstrel gallery, music gallery, roof gallery.
3. An elevated section of the seating area of an auditorium, esp. the uppermost such space.
4. In buildings for public worship, a similar space, sometimes set apart for special uses.
5. A service passageway within a building, or linking a building underground to exterior supplies or exits. Some service galleries also serve sightseers, e.g., the lighting gallery in the base of the dome at St. Peter’s, Rome.
6. A long, narrow room for special activities like target practice, etc.
7. A room, often top-lit, used for the display of art works.
8. A building serving such art needs.
9. See long gallery. 10. Any raised working platform at the side or rear of a theater stagehouse. 11. An arcade, 2. 12. (Brit.) A device, attached to a lampholder, for supporting a reflector, shade, etc.

gallery, 1

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Visitors watch the proceedings of the House of Representatives and Senate from galleries, or balconies, surrounding the chambers. The House, elected directly by the people, opened a public gallery when it first met in 1789, but the Senate, whose members were elected by state legislatures, saw no need for a gallery at first. The Senate's debates were closed until 1794, when a gallery at last was constructed. Today the galleries of both the House and Senate are open whenever that chamber is in session, at any hour of the day or night.

Congress appoints doorkeepers to supervise the galleries. Rules prohibit visitors to the galleries from taking notes or photographs. Visitors may not lean over the railing, a prohibition dating back to 1916, when President Woodrow Wilson addressed a joint session of Congress and activists draped a large banner down from the gallery that read, “Mr. President, What Will You Do For Woman Suffrage? “The rules of the Senate and House also forbid members from addressing the galleries or from calling attention to special visitors.

Before entering the galleries, visitors must obtain tickets from their senators or representatives. The first tickets were issued in 1868 to control the crowds seeking to witness the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson. Today, television cameras mounted in the galleries broadcast the proceedings live via C-SPAN. Television has become a nationwide extension of the House and Senate galleries.

In addition to the public galleries, the House and Senate also make gallery space available to their staff, to the members' families, to the foreign diplomatic corps, and to the press. To encourage the widest media coverage of its proceedings, Congress provides separate press galleries for newspaper correspondents, radio and television reporters, magazine writers, and press photographers.

See also C-SPAN; Doorkeepers; Media coverage of Congress

IN BRIEF: A place for showing or selling works of art.

Arriving at the gallery on the arm of his son, he gazed wonderingly at his paintings, and tears came to his eyes. — James Keller.

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - galleri, søjlegang

Nederlands (Dutch)
galerij, galerie, lange smalle gang/kamer, engelenbak, tribune, toeschouwers, veranda

Français (French)
n. - musée, (Archit, gén) galerie, tribune, (Théât) dernier balcon, poulailler, galerie (dans une cave), (US) salle des ventes

Deutsch (German)
n. - Galerie, Empore, Stollen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - γαλαρία, στοά (ορυχείου κ.λπ.), πινακοθήκη, γκαλερί, αίθουσα τέχνης, θεωρείο (της Βουλής), υπερώο, εξώστης, διάδρομος

idioms:

• play to the gallery    δημοκοπώ, δημαγωγώ

Italiano (Italian)
galleria, galleria d'arte, loggione, tribuna, ballatoio, di galleria

Português (Portuguese)
n. - galeria (f), tribuna (f), balcão (m), varanda (f)

Русский (Russian)
галерея, галерка

Español (Spanish)
n. - museo, galería, tribuna, gallinero, gradas, paraíso, palco, balconada, grupo de espectadores, corredor

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - galleri, läktare, publik

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
走廊, 画廊, 最高楼座

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 走廊, 畫廊, 最高樓座

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 화랑, (회관 등의) 특별석

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 画廊, 美術館, 美術品陳列室, 中二階, 桟敷, 傍聴席, 回廊, 細長い部屋, 天井桟敷, 観客, ギャラリー, 傍聴人

idioms:

• rogues' gallery    犯罪者写真台帳
• whispering gallery    ささやきの回廊

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) رواق, بهو‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮יציע, מוזיאון, אכסדרה, ניקבה, גלריה לאמנות, אולם, מנהרה, מסדרון, התא הכי גבוה בתיאטרון‬

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gallery	Photo Gallery
Gallery Furniture	gallery magazine