oriel English · revision 1262

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈɔːɹiəl/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It comes from Middle English,^(AHD) [[der|fro|oriol|t=porch, gallery]]^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(RHWU) and [[der|la-med|oriolum|t=porch, gallery, small room]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) of uncertain origin.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) Etymonline suggests a diminutive of Latin ''aulaeum'' “curtain”,^(Etymonline) and Random House Latin ''aureolus'' “gilded”.^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A portico, corridor, gallery or balcony, or a small room forming a projection (before 1259; 1236 in Barnhart).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ By the mid-14th century the word meant a large recessed window,^(Etymonline) and from about 1440 a polygonal bay projecting from an upper storey, supported on brackets or corbels.^(OED 1989)^(AHD)^(RHWU) ''Oriel window'' is recorded from 1765.^(OED 1989) The OED notes that the history of the senses is obscure.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1236 – a room containing an oriel.^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * before 1259 – a portico or gallery.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1360 – a bay window.^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * about 1440 – a projecting polygonal recess.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1765 – ''oriel window''.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A projecting [[bay window]] in an upper storey, supported from below by brackets or [[corbel|alt=corbels]].^(AHD)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # In medieval architecture, a large bay window of a hall or chamber.^(RHWU)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[bay window]]

+ * [[corbel]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Wiktionary notes that there is no generally accepted difference between a bay window and an oriel, though in American use ''oriel'' is often used for small or corbelled bay windows.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}