lintel

[ lin-tl ]

/ ˈlɪn tl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lintel ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a horizontal architectural member supporting the weight above an opening, as a window or a door.

Words related to lintel

girder, scaffolding, joist, shaft, pillar, pole, plank, timber, sill, strip, bail, bolster, stanchion, prop, trestle, pile, boom, stud, spar

Words nearby lintel

linseed oil, linsey, linsey-woolsey, linstock, lint, lintel, linter, lintie, linton, lintwhite, linty

Also British, lin·tol.

Origin of lintel

1350–1400; Middle English lyntel < Middle French lintel, dissimilated variant of *linter < Latin līmitāris orig., belonging to or indicating a boundary; later taken as synonym of līmināris orig., of the threshold. See limit, -ar¹

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

Examples from the Web for lintel

A strange man stood against the lintel—seeing her, he opened his eyes very wide and smiled delightfully.
In a German Pension|Katherine Mansfield
M. mile Mle with his usual happy phrasing speaks of the lyric beauty of the lintel stone at Senlis.
How France Built Her Cathedrals|Elizabeth Boyle O'Reilly
The sentinel moved outside the door, and the butt end of his carbine scratched against the lintel.
The Gadfly|E. L. Voynich
"All hope abandon, ye who enter here" was carved in ancient letters just under the lintel of the door.
The Heritage of the Hills|Arthur P. Hankins

Gold stole across the lintel, breaking over the roofs of slates beyond.
The Bright Messenger|Algernon Blackwood

British Dictionary definitions for lintel

lintel

/ (ˈlɪntəl) /

noun

a horizontal beam, as over a door or window

Word Origin for lintel

C14: via Old French probably from Late Latin līmitāris (unattested) of the boundary, influenced in meaning by līminaris of the threshold

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