oeil-de-boeuf

American  

[œ-y^uh-duh-bœf] / ˌœ yə dəˈbœf /

noun

plural

oeils-de-boeuf

1. a comparatively small round or oval window, as in a frieze.

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oeil-de-boeuf British  

/ œjdəbœf /

noun

1. a circular window, esp in 17th- and 18th-century French architecture

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Etymology

Origin of oeil-de-boeuf

< French: literally, bull's eye

Example Sentences

Booted and spurred, his sword at his side, his hat under his arm, he entered that darksome hall where on every face he could read the sentiments of hostility which he called forth; and yet he advanced with the same aristocratic ease with which he would have presented himself in the Oeil-de-Boeuf, or court circle, at Versailles.

From Project Gutenberg

Baron d'Essen, all covered with his master's blood, helps him to gain a little box called the OEil-de-Boeuf, and from there a salon, where he is laid upon a sofa.

From Project Gutenberg

But when they try to make their way into the OEil-de-Boeuf, or King's Antechamber, the locked door of this apartment arrests their progress.

From Project Gutenberg

Louis XVI. passes into the Great Cabinet, thence into the State Bedchamber, and through it into the OEil-de-Boeuf, where he will presently receive the crowd.

From Project Gutenberg

Sergent, standing in front of the door, leading from the OEil-de-Boeuf to the State Bedchamber, unfastens his scarf and waving it over his head, cries: "Citizens, this is the badge of the law; in its name we invite you to retire and follow us."

From Project Gutenberg