jalousie

[jal-uh-see, zhal-oo-zee]

noun

1. a blind or shutter made with horizontal slats that can be adjusted to admit light and air but exclude rain and the rays of the sun.

2. a window made of glass slats or louvers of a similar nature.

jalousie

/ ˈʒælʊˌziː /

noun

1. a window blind or shutter constructed from angled slats of wood, plastic, etc

2. a window made of similarly angled slats of glass

Other Word Forms

• jalousied adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of jalousie¹

1585–95; < French < Italian gelosia jealousy; so called because such blinds afford a view while hiding the viewer

Word History and Origins

Origin of jalousie¹

C19: from Old French gelosie latticework screen, literally: _jealousy , perhaps because one can look through the screen without being seen

Example Sentences

Her family’s home lacked air conditioning, but they didn’t need it: their jalousie windows let in the sea breeze.

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I’m replacing the old jalousie windows with full-length screens and putting in a beadboard ceiling.

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The jalousies have all been closed, and the men are spread around the room as if assuming lookout posts.

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I open the jalousies beside my bed and look out past the patio to the yard beyond.

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Interior walls were built as jalousies to allow air to flow through the entire house.

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Related Words

• decoration 
• drape 
• drapery 
• screen 
• shade 
• shroud 
• shutter 
• veil