fanlight

American  

[fan-lahyt] / ˈfænˌlaɪt /

noun

1. a window over a door or another window, especially one having the form of a semicircle or of half an ellipse.

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fanlight British  

/ ˈfænˌlaɪt /

noun

1. a semicircular window over a door or window, often having sash bars like the ribs of a fan

2. US name: transom.  a small rectangular window over a door

3. another name for skylight

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Etymology

Origin of fanlight

First recorded in 1835–45; fan ¹ + light ¹

Example Sentences

An arched entrance to the house has a fanlight in a delicately ornamented keystone surround.

From Washington Post • Jun. 17, 2021

Glancing up, you notice a fragile Georgian fanlight, or a warm scoop of terracotta tiling, or a glint of coloured glass.

From The Guardian • Sep. 19, 2014

Glancing up, you notice a fragile Georgian fanlight, or a warm scoop of terra-cotta tiling, or a glint of colored glass.

From New York Times • Sep. 19, 2014

The attic room had no window on the front, so she pounded down the back staircase two flights to the fanlight that looked out over the drive.

From Nature • Apr. 10, 2013

The indirect afternoon light, reflected from the gravel and filtered through the fanlight, filled the entrance hall with the yellowish-orange tones of a sepia print.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan