curtain wall

noun

(in a framed building) an exterior wall having no structural function.

Origin of curtain wall

First recorded in 1850–55

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for curtain wall

Historical Examples of curtain wall

The battlements of the curtain-wall are ornamented in the same manner.
Account of a Tour in Normandy, Vol. II. (of 2)
Dawson Turner
They reached the foot of the rampart, and by the stairway of a tower that was left unguarded, they mounted onto the curtain-wall.
The Merrie Tales Of Jacques Tournebroche
Anatole France
The porter's lodge and curtain-wall enclosing Hulne Priory still stand, and its outline can be traced, though the ruins are scant.
England, Picturesque and Descriptive
Joel Cook
Come and see the curtain-wall or whatever it is in the cellars of the Htel de la Poste.
The Tower of Oblivion
Oliver Onions

British Dictionary definitions for curtain wall

curtain wall

noun

a non-load-bearing external wall attached to a framed structure, often one that is prefabricated
a low wall outside the outer wall of a castle, serving as a first line of defence

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