clerestory
Americannoun
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Architecture. a portion of an interior rising above adjacent rooftops and having windows admitting daylight to the interior.
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a raised construction, as on the roof of a railroad car, having windows or slits for admitting light or air.
noun
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a row of windows in the upper part of the wall of a church that divides the nave from the aisle, set above the aisle roof
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the part of the wall in which these windows are set Compare blindstorey
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of clerestory
1375–1425; late Middle English, equivalent to clere clear + story story 2
Vocabulary lists containing clerestory
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The lighting is bright to the point of excess, overpowering the light from the stained-glass windows of the clerestory.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 3, 2025
Flowing spaces open with double-height spaces, subtle level changes and large openings like skylights, clerestory windows, balconies, and even a spot where an entire section of roof pivots open thanks to a large piston.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 8, 2025
Fading daylight pours in through the clerestory high up in the nave, sending dust-filled shafts across a space so staggeringly tall it could have been designed by giraffes.
From Slate • Feb. 26, 2022
But it wasn’t until Saturday, with the winter sun shining through the clerestory windows of Allen Fieldhouse, that they finally took to the floor together.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 11, 2021
The weak sea light fell through the clerestory portholes.
From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
