What does pergola mean?
A pergola is an open framework of posts, beams, or latticework used in a garden, courtyard, or outdoor seating area. Its roof is normally open or only partially covered, allowing it to provide shade or support climbing plants without enclosing the space. Pergolas are frequently decorated with vines, roses, wisteria, or other trained plants, but plants are not essential to the structure's definition. They can stand independently in a garden, cover a patio or walkway, or form a sheltered place to sit and eat. Architecturally, a pergola differs from a solid-roofed porch because much of its roof remains open, and it is usually less enclosed than a gazebo. The word is common in British and American English and is especially familiar in descriptions of residential gardens and landscaped outdoor spaces. It names both the structural frame and, commonly, the plant-covered feature that results.
nounA freestanding garden structure consisting of supporting posts, usually topped by beams or an open lattice, that may carry climbing plants or provide partial shade. It may also form a covered walkway or seating area.
- A garden structure formed by posts and crossbeams, often covered by climbing plants and sometimes used to support a roof over a walkway or seating area.
"Vines climbed over the wooden pergola, creating a cool, shaded seat beside the garden."
"They ate dinner beneath the pergola as jasmine filled the garden with fragrance."
"The new pergola provides partial shade for the terrace while leaving the courtyard open."
The regular plural is used when referring to multiple garden structures.
"The grounds contain several pergolas covered in roses and climbing ivy."
A pergola is essentially a framework for the sky: it can support climbing plants, frame a view, or make a shaded room without walls.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pergola come from?
The word comes from Italian pergola, ultimately from Latin pergula, a term associated with an arbor or trellis for climbing plants. The English word entered modern usage through continental European garden and architectural terminology. Its meaning has remained closely connected with a light framework used to support vines or provide partial shade.
How pergola is actually used
The term is primarily used in garden and architectural contexts. In British English it is especially associated with a structure over which climbing plants are trained, though the definition does not require such plants.
Easily confused with pergola
A pergola is a built garden structure with posts and crossbeams, whereas an arbor may be a freestanding garden feature, a branch canopy, or a simple trellis.