oriel
[awr-ee-uh l, ohr‐]
- a bay window, especially one cantilevered or corbeled out from a wall.
- (in medieval architecture) a large bay window of a hall or chamber.
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Origin of oriel
1350–1400; Middle English < Anglo-French oriol porch, passage, gallery, perhaps ≪ Latin aureolus “gilded”
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for oriel
Historical Examples
She assured herself of that as she returned to her post in the oriel window.
The Letter of the ContractBasil King
He asked Raleigh at Oriel to join him, and the boy eagerly accepted.
Historic BoyhoodsRupert Sargent Holland
He sank down on the oriel seat, the letter dropping from his hands.
Robert ElsmereMrs. Humphry Ward
But Oriel is no longer to rank as one of the moderate-sized colleges.
OxfordFrederick Douglas How
And she hurried forth to the oriel window, where Jack was already perched.
In Convent WallsEmily Sarah Holt
Word Origin and History for oriel
n.
"large recessed window," mid-14c., from Old French oriol "hall, vestibule; oriel," of uncertain origin, perhaps from Medieval Latin oriolum "porch, gallery" (mid-13c.), perhaps from Vulgar Latin *auraeolum, dissimilated from aulaeolum, a diminutive of Latin aulaeum "curtain." Despite much research, the sense evolution remains obscure.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper