transom

American  

[tran-suhm] / ˈtræn səm /

noun

1. a crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it.

2. Also called transom window.  Also called transom light,.  a window above such a crosspiece.

3. a crossbar of wood or stone, dividing a window horizontally.

4. a window so divided.

5. Nautical.

   1. a flat termination to a stern, above the water line.

   2. framework running athwartships in way of the sternpost of a steel or iron vessel, used as a support for the frames of the counter.

6. Artillery. a metal piece connecting the sidepieces of the tail or the cheeks of a gun carriage.

---

transom British  

/ ˈtrænsəm /

noun

1. Also called: traverse.  a horizontal member across a window Compare mullion

2. a horizontal member that separates a door from a window over it

3. the usual US name for fanlight

4. nautical

   1. a surface forming the stern of a vessel, either vertical or canted either forwards ( reverse transom ) or aft at the upper side

   2. any of several transverse beams used for strengthening the stern of a vessel

---

Other Word Forms

• transomed adjective

Etymology

Origin of transom

1325–75; late Middle English traunsum, traunsom, Middle English transyn, probably alteration (by association with trans- ) of traversayn < Old French traversin crosspiece, derivative of travers breadth; see traverse

Explanation

When there is a window above a door, the horizontal piece of wood between them is called a transom. The first transoms were used in Gothic architecture during the Middle Ages. Architectural transoms serve the purpose of strengthening the structure of the door. The window above is also commonly referred to as a transom. In nautical terms, a transom is either the stern (or back) of a boat or a horizontal beam that helps support the stern. It was once common to describe an unsolicited manuscript as over the transom, as if a writer had tossed it over the publisher's door.

Example Sentences

The donor note came over the transom like any other: A contributor was hoping that the minimum allowable gift could be lowered to $18 from $20.

From New York Times • Sep. 16, 2023

There are transom windows above the doors, and you can hear other guests moving down the hallway as the floors creak and groan.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 30, 2023

One by one, they jumped onto the transom.

From Washington Post • Mar. 20, 2023

That makes them more vulnerable to manipulative junk coming over the transom, whether pitches for dubious surveys or stories about the dangers of Facebook rival TikTok.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 1, 2022

Kit leaned sideways to see the letters painted jauntily on the transom.

From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare