Patio vs. Lanai — What's the Difference?

A patio (, from Spanish: patio [ˈpatjo]; "courtyard", "forecourt", "yard") is an outdoor space generally used for dining or recreation that adjoins a residence and is typically paved. In Australia the term is expanded to include roofed structures such as a veranda, which provides protection from sun and rain.

Lanai (Hawaiian: Lānaʻi, Hawaiian: [laːˈnɐʔi, naːˈnɐʔi], , also US: ,) is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands and the smallest publicly accessible inhabited island in the chain. It is colloquially known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple plantation.

An outdoor space for dining or recreation that adjoins a residence and is often paved.

A porch or veranda.

A roofless inner courtyard, typically found in Spanish and Spanish-style dwellings.

A veranda or roofed patio.

A paved outside area, adjoining a house, used for dining or recreation.

A Hawaiian-style roofed patio.

An inner courtyard typical of traditional houses in some regions of Spain.

An island in the Hawaiian chain.

A paved yard or floor where ores are cleaned and sorted, or where ore, salt, mercury, etc., are trampled by horses, to effect intermixture and amalgamation.

A veranda or roofed patio often furnished and used as a living room.

In Spain, Spanish America, etc., a court or courtyard of a house or other building; esp., an inner court open to the sky.

An island of central Hawaii; a pineapple-growing area

A usually paved area adjacent to a dwelling, used for outdoor lounging, dining, receptions of guests, etc.

A veranda or roofed patio often furnished and used as a living room

Usually paved outdoor area adjoining a residence