An arcade is a series of arches carried on piers, columns, or pilastersDecorative architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column, to articulate an extent of wall., either free-standing or attached to a wall, when it is known as a blind arcade. The term is also used to denote a covered avenue with shops on one or both sides, the Leeds ArcadesFour Victorian shopping arcades built between 1878 and 1904, all listed buildings and still in use. for example.^[1]

The word “arcade” may come from the Middle French arcade, meaning “arched opening”, or from the Occitan arcada or Italian arcata, both meaning “bow” or “arch”.^[2]

The earliest arcades are found in Roman buildings, and they are often used in aisled halls or churches to carry a roof over a width that cannot be bridged in a single span.^[3]