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defenestration

[ dee-fen-uh-strey-shuhn ]
/ diˌfɛn əˈstreɪ ʃən /
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noun
the act of throwing a person or thing out of a window: The defenestration of the Catholic commissioners in Prague precipitated the Thirty Years’ War.
the act of suddenly removing someone from an important position or office: When the new corporate board was voted in, there was a massive defenestration of high-level executives.
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Origin of defenestration

First recorded in 1610–20; de- + Latin fenestr(a) “window” + -ation
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use defenestration in a sentence

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
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