defenestration

[ dee-fen-uh-strey-shuh n ]
/ diˌfɛn əˈstreɪ ʃən /

noun

the act of throwing a thing or especially a person out of a window: the defenestration of the commissioners at Prague.

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

"Little Women" may be a classic, but that doesn't mean we all know the meanings of the vocab words from the book. Can you define these words correctly and make Jo proud?
Question 1 of 10
earnest
full seriousness, as of intention or purpose.
a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.
urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.
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Origin of defenestration

1610–20; de- + Latin fenestr(a) window + -ation

Words nearby defenestration

defend, defendant, defender of the bond, defender of the faith, defenestrate, defenestration, defense, defense mechanism, defenseman, defensible, defensive
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for defenestration

British Dictionary definitions for defenestration

defenestration
/ (diːˌfɛnɪˈstreɪʃən) /

noun

the act of throwing someone out of a window

Word Origin for defenestration

C17: from New Latin dēfenestrātiō, from Latin de- + fenestra window
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