Balcony \Bal"co*ny\, n.; pl. Balconies. [It. balcone; cf. It. balco, palco, scaffold, fr. OHG. balcho, pa?cho, beam, G. balken. See Balk beam.]

1. (Arch.) 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).

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)