clerestory

or clear·sto·ry

[ kleer-stawr-ee, -stohr-ee ]

/ ˈklɪərˌstɔr i, -ˌstoʊr i /

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noun, plural clere·sto·ries.

Architecture. a portion of an interior rising above adjacent rooftops and having windows admitting daylight to the interior.

a raised construction, as on the roof of a railroad car, having windows or slits for admitting light or air.

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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of clerestory

1375–1425; late Middle English, equivalent to clereclear + storystory²

OTHER WORDS FROM clerestory

clerestoried, adjective

Words nearby clerestory

clept, cleptobiosis, cleptocracy, cleptomania, Clerc, clerestory, clergy, clergyman, clergyperson, clergywoman, cleric

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use clerestory in a sentence

The organ gallery gets a strong white light from a row of long windows in the clerestory, which have not even coloured glass.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is also a good point from which to study the clerestory as seen in choir and crossing.
Bell's Cathedrals: A Short Account of Romsey Abbey|Thomas Perkins
The March sunshine slants in pale shafts through the clerestory windows, leaving the aisles in shadow.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 108, April 6, 1895|Various
The windows on the south side of the clerestory are without the trefoil which ornaments the base of those on the north side.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Carlisle|C. King Eley

The blank window next to the tower is also wanting; in other respects the clerestory presents the same features as on the north.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Carlisle|C. King Eley
The outer moulding of the window arch of the south transept clerestory has billet ornament.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Carlisle|C. King Eley

British Dictionary definitions for clerestory

clerestory

clearstory

/ (ˈklɪəˌstɔːrɪ) /

noun plural -ries

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

the part of the wall in which these windows are setCompare blindstorey

Derived forms of clerestory

clerestoried or clearstoried, adjective

Word Origin for clerestory

C15: from clear + storey

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012