Definition

1. Noun:
   • A projecting bay window: An "oriel window" is a type of window that projects outward from the main wall of a building, forming a bay or recess inside the room.
   • Corbeled or cantilevered support: It is distinctively supported by brackets, corbels, or a cantilever from the wall below, rather than extending to the ground.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The library's most charming feature was the wooden oriel window overlooking the garden.
  • Light streamed into the room through the leaded glass of the oriel window.

Advanced Usage

• Architectural Feature: An oriel window is primarily discussed as an architectural element, common in Gothic and Renaissance styles, and often found on upper floors.
  • The medieval hall was identified by its large oriel window where the lord would sit.

Variants and Related Words

• Oriel (noun): Often used synonymously with "oriel window."
  • The room had a south-facing oriel.
• Bay Window (noun): A broader category of projecting windows; an oriel window is a type of bay window that does not reach the ground.
• Bow Window (noun): A bay window that curves outward in a gentle arc, contrasting with the angled projection of a typical oriel.

Synonyms

• Bay window (a general synonym, though not all bay windows are oriels).
• Projecting window.

Antonyms / Contrasting Terms

• Dormer window: A window that projects vertically from a sloping roof.
• Flush window: A window set flush with the exterior wall, not projecting.

Noun

1. a projecting bay window corbeled or cantilevered out from a wall