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torii

[ tawr-ee-ee ]

noun

, plural to·ri·i.
  1. (in Japan) a form of decorative gateway or portal, consisting of two upright wooden posts connected at the top by two horizontal crosspieces, commonly found at the entrance to Shinto shrines.


torii

/ ˈtɔːrɪˌiː /

noun

  1. a gateway, esp one at the entrance to a Japanese Shinto temple
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of torii1

First recorded in 1720–30; from Japanese, equivalent to tori “bird” + (w)i “perch”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of torii1

C19: from Japanese, literally: a perch for birds
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Example Sentences

Shinjiro Torii built the first whisky distillery in Japan in 1923 at Yamazaki on the island of Honshu.

There is, first, the wooden archway (called torii, or toriwi) through which one passes in approaching the temples.

They are approached through archways (called torii, or toriwi) of simple construction.

Occasionally a shrine was visible within, and the obligatory Torii stood at the edge of the grove, or within its first limits.

Looking through a Torii one is sure to be in the direction of something sacred, whether it be temple or shrine or holy mountain.

Then the temple attendants brushed with brooms the mosses of the pavement about the Torii, and the gates were closed.

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