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.

Nearby words

defendant, defender, defender of the bond, defender of the faith, defenestrate, defenestration, defense, defense mechanism, defenseless, defenseman, defensible

Origin of defenestration

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for defenestration

Geddie, for his part, fought his defenestration but ultimately accepted defeat.
The View’s Bloody Backstage Politics: How Barbara Walters and Bill Geddie Lost Control of Their Show|Lloyd Grove|July 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A tablet stating that the defenestration had been planned here was placed on this house, but almost immediately removed.
The Story of Prague|Count Francis Ltzow
Many of the stormy meetings of the Bohemian nobles that preceded the defenestration of 1618 were held here.
The Story of Prague|Count Francis Ltzow
The defenestration, in fact, only precipitated a conflict that was in any case inevitable.
A History of Bohemian Literature|Count Ltzow

Slavata immediately resolved on refuting this work, written by the originator of the defenestration.
A History of Bohemian Literature|Count Ltzow

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