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rialto

/riˈæltoʊ/
IPA guide

Other forms: rialtos

A rialto is a market, or anywhere that people gather in public. But you’ll nearly always find the word capitalized as part of a name for a plaza, square, theater, theater district, or commercial center.

The original Rialto is the commercial center of Venice, Italy, which has had that name for centuries; the famous Rialto Bridge over Venice's Grand Canal, built in 1590, is named after it. The name Rialto is a contraction of Italian rivoalto, or "high bank," referring to an area on the left bank of the river that eventually became the Grand Canal. This area evolved into Venice’s commercial center, with markets, shops, and banks. Now, many things are named Rialto to lend them a glamorous or exotic air.

Definitions of rialto
  1. noun
    the theater district in a city
  2. noun
    an exchange or market
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