Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An arena for jai alai.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In architecture, a pediment.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Arch.) Same as frontal, 2.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A two-walled or single-walled court used as a playing area for Basque pelota.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Spanish frontón, wall, fronton, augmentative of frente, forehead, face, from Old Spanish fruente, from Latin frōns, front-.]

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Examples

  • Above her a radiated head, representing God the Father, forms the point of the triangle that encircles the inside fronton, which is decked with figures playing on different musical instruments.

    Historical Sketch of the Cathedral of Strasburg Anonymous

  • The fronton, which is over the portico, has no ornament in the centre; neither has the frieze nor architrave: but some holes mark where the bronze letters of an inscription were once inserted.

    The Idler in France Marguerite Blessington 1819

  • Most towns have a court like this one, called a fronton in Spanish.

    TravelPod.com TravelStream™ — Recent Entries at TravelPod.com 2010

  • Long ago, the fronton was a glamorous venue, where high-society folks came to place bets on the fast-paced game and where celebrities performed.

    SplicedFeed 2009

  • Basque town, you'll find a tall "fronton" * wall, in stacked stone or concrete, against which the locals still play ball, or "pilota," * with their hands or with oblong baskets.

    French Word-A-Day: 2008

  • Basque town, you'll find a tall "fronton" * wall, in stacked stone or concrete, against which the locals still play ball, or "pilota," * with their hands or with oblong baskets.

    French Word-A-Day: 2008

  • Basque town, you'll find a tall "fronton" * wall, in stacked stone or concrete, against which the locals still play ball, or "pilota," * with their hands or with oblong baskets.

    basque - French Word-A-Day 2008

  • Basque town, you'll find a tall "fronton"* wall, in stacked stone or concrete, against which the locals still play ball, or "pilota,"* with their hands or with oblong baskets.

    French Word-A-Day: 2008

  • Basque town, you'll find a tall "fronton"* wall, in stacked stone or concrete, against which the locals still play ball, or "pilota,"* with their hands or with oblong baskets.

    basque - French Word-A-Day 2008

  • Or find a "fronton," which often serves as a local meeting point, to watch locals play a pickup game of "pelote basque," a cross between tennis and baseball (Plaza Berri).

    Biarritz 2007

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