window English · revision 201
5 Oct 2026, 22:15 by bogdan “Add pronunciation, sense history, timeline, meanings, word family, related words” current version
Changes in this edit
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+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /ˈwɪndoʊ/, /ˈwɪndə/; /ˈwɪndəʊ/ ''(UK)''^(Wiktionary)
+
==Etymology==
− Recorded from c. 1200 as ''windou''.^(Etymonline) From [[enm|windowe]],^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) [[bor|non|vindauga]], literally “wind eye”,^(Etymonline)^(Wiktionary) from ''vindr'' “wind” + ''auga'' “eye”.^(AHD)^(OED 1989)
+ From [[enm|windowe]],^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) [[bor|non|vindauga]], literally “wind eye”,^(Etymonline)^(Wiktionary) from ''vindr'' “wind” + ''auga'' “eye”.^(AHD)^(OED 1989) The word came from the Scandinavian invaders and settlers of England.^(AHD)
− It replaced Old English ''ēagþyrel'' “eye-hole” and ''ēagduru'' “eye-door”,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) while the French-derived ''fenester'' remained in use until the 16th century.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) Windows were originally unglazed holes in the wall or roof.^(Etymonline)^(Wiktionary) Compare [[wind]] and [[eye]].^(OED 1989)
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ An opening in a wall or roof to admit air or light (c. 1200), originally an unglazed hole in a roof.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ The word replaced Old English ''ēagþyrel'' “eye-hole” and ''ēagduru'' “eye-door”.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) Most Germanic languages later adopted a form of Latin ''fenestra'' for framed, glazed windows,^(Etymonline) and English used ''fenester'' alongside ''window'' until the mid-16th century.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) Figurative uses followed: ''window dressing'' (1853, figuratively by 1898), ''window-shopping'' (1904), and, from the US space programme, ''launch window'' (1963) and ''window of opportunity'' (1979).^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * a1225 – “an opening to admit light or air”.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)
+ * mid-16th century – ''fenester'' falls out of use.^(Etymonline)
+ * 1778 – ''window seat''.^(Etymonline)
+ * 1853 – ''window dressing''.^(Etymonline)
+ * 1904 – ''window-shopping''.^(Etymonline)
+ * 1963 – ''launch window''.^(Etymonline)
+ * 1979 – ''window of opportunity''.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # An opening in a wall, roof, or vehicle, usually filled with glass, to let in light and air.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ # A pane of glass, or the frame and glass that fill such an opening.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ # An opening resembling a window, such as the transparent panel of an envelope.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)
+ # A limited period during which something is possible.^(Wiktionary)^(Etymonline)
+ # ''(computing)'' A rectangular area on a screen displaying a program or document.^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ===Verb===
+ # To furnish with windows.^(OED 1989)^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[windowless]]
+ * [[windowy]]
+
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[eye]]
+ * [[wind]]
==References==