in architecture, most frequently, an open-walled, roofed porch attached to the exterior of a domestic structure and usually surrounded by a railing. The word came into English through the Hindi varandā, but it is related to the Spanish baranda, meaning “railing,” and thus most likely entered Hindi via Portuguese explorers of India.

Veranda most often refers to a long porch that extends along more than one outside wall of a house and is used for outdoor activities. In some parts of the United States, however, it is used to mean any kind of porch, and in India it refers to either a long, open porch or an enclosed area in the front of the house where visitors are received.