oriel

[Middle English, from Old French oriol, porch, from Medieval Latin oriolum.]

For more information on oriel, visit Britannica.com.

1. In medieval English architecture, chiefly residential, and derivatives: (a) a bay window corbeled out from the wall of an upper story; (b) a bay projecting, inside or out, extending a room; (c) a windowed bay or porch at the top of exterior stairs.
2. (rare) In medieval Continental structures and derivatives, a subsidiary bay, or a corbeled, enclosed feature, exterior or interior.

oriel

Tutor's tip: This word was used in the 2006 Scripps National Spelling Bee finals.

Oriel windows in San Francisco, California.

Oriel windows are a form of bay window commonly found in Gothic revival architecture, which jut out from the main wall of the building but do not reach to the ground.^[1] Corbels or brackets are often used to support this kind of window. They are seen in combination with the Tudor arch. This type of window was also used in Victorian Architecture in the Queen Anne Style.

Oriel windows are seen in Arab architecture in the form of mashrabiya.

In the Hindu culture these windows and balconies are projected from the street front, providing an area in which women could peer out and see the activities below while remaining invisible.

Origins

According to the OED, the origin of the word oriel is derived from Anglo-Norman oriell and post-classical Latin oriolum, both meaning gallery or porch, perhaps from classical Latin aulaeum, curtain.

• Oriel College, Oxford took its name from a balcony or oriel window forming a feature of a property which occupied the site the college now stands on.

• Oriel Chambers in Liverpool was a very controversial building when it was built, featuring an entire facade of glass oriel windows. It is seen as an early example of modernism.

Gallery

16th century oriel window inside St Bartholomew-the-Great church, London.

19th century neo-gothic oriel window on Bradford City Hall.

References

1. ^ What is an oriel window - Architecture Glossary

This architectural element-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - karnap, karnapvindue

Nederlands (Dutch)
erker

Français (French)
n. - (fenêtre) en oriel

Deutsch (German)
n. - Erkerfenster

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (αρχιτ.) προεξέχον παράθυρο

Italiano (Italian)
bovindo

Português (Portuguese)
n. - balcão envidraçado

Русский (Russian)
альков, эркер

Español (Spanish)
n. - mirador

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - burspråk

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
凸出壁外的窗, 凸肚窗

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 凸出壁外的窗, 凸肚窗

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 퇴창

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 張出窓, 出窓

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) شرفه ناتئه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮מבנה חלונ(ות) בולט מחוץ לקיר הבית, גבלית‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.