FROM THE ARCHIVESunday, October 11, 2026
defenestration
dee-fen-uh-STRAY-shun/diˌfɛnəˈstreɪʃən//noun
01 / MEANING
The act of throwing someone or something out of a window.
In a sentence.
- 01
The novel's dramatic defenestration sent a chair into the courtyard.
- 02
The history lesson turned to the defenestration that helped spark a war.
Where it came from.
From New Latin dēfenestrātiō: dē means ‘out from,’ fenestra means ‘window,’ and the ending names the action. The 1618 Defenestration of Prague made the word historically memorable.
Explore the sourceWhy it’s interesting.
A surprisingly formal word for a startling act, with the window hidden plainly in its roots.