Dictionary Home » Dictionary Definitions » window

window

Listen See in Thesaurus See in a sentence

The definition of a window is a pane of glass or plastic in a house, car or other structure, or something you look through, either literally or metaphorically, to see what is on the other side.

(noun)

An example of a window is the glass on the front or back of your house that allows you to look out.
An example of a window is the eyes, which are said to be windows to the soul because looking into someone's eyes helps you to understand the person.

See window in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

1. an opening in a building, vehicle, or container, for letting in light or air or for looking through, usually having a pane or panes of glass, etc. set in a frame or sash that is generally movable so that it can be opened and shut
2. any of these panes, or the sash or sashes in their casement
1. any similar opening, as that before a bank teller
2. an opening, period of time, etc. for access: window of opportunity
the transparent panel of a window envelope
1. any device put into the atmosphere to yield a perceptible radar echo, usually used for tracking an airborne object or as a tracer of wind
2. chaff ()
launch window
any portion of the frequency spectrum of the earth's atmosphere through which light, heat, or radio waves can penetrate to the earth's surface due to the low absorption or dissipation of electromagnetic energy in this particular portion
Comput. any of the separate data displays appearing simultaneously on a single video screen in certain systems

Origin: ME windoge < ON vindauga, window, lit., wind eye < vindr, wind + auga, an eye; akin to Ger auge, eye

transitive verb

to provide with a window or windows

Related Forms:

windowless adjective

See window in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

a. An opening constructed in a wall or roof that functions to admit light or air to an enclosure and is often framed and spanned with glass mounted to permit opening and closing.
b. A framework enclosing a pane of glass for such an opening; a sash.
c. A pane of glass or similar material enclosed in such a framework.
a. An opening that resembles a window in function or appearance.
b. The transparent panel on a window envelope.
The area or space immediately behind a window, especially at the front of a shop.
A means of access or observation: St. Petersburg was Peter the Great's window onto the Baltic.
An interval of time during which an activity can or must take place: a brief window of opportunity for a space mission; a window of vulnerability during which the air force was subject to attack.
Strips of foil dropped from an aircraft to confuse enemy radar; chaff.
A range of electromagnetic frequencies that pass unobstructed through a planetary atmosphere.
Computer Science A rectangular area on the screen that displays its own file or message independently of the other areas of the screen.
Aerospace
a. A launch window.
b. An area at the outer limits of the earth's atmosphere through which a spacecraft must pass in order to return safely.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English

Origin: , from Old Norse vindauga

Origin: : vindr, air, wind; see wē- in Indo-European roots

Origin: + auga, eye; see ok^w- in Indo-European roots

Word History: The source of our word window is a vivid metaphor. Window comes to us from the Scandinavian invaders and settlers of England in the early Middle Ages. Although we have no record of the exact word they gave us, it was related to Old Norse vindauga, “window,” a compound made up of vindr, “wind,” and auga, “eye,” reflecting the fact that at one time windows contained no glass. The metaphor “wind eye” is of a type beloved by Norse and Old English poets and is called a kenning; other examples include oar-steed for “ship” and whale-road for “sea.” Recently we have restored to the 800-year-old word window a touch of its poetic heritage, using it figuratively in such phrases as launch window, weather window, and window of opportunity or vulnerability.

Learn more about window

window synonyms

window business definition

window computer definition

window investment & finance

window medical definition

window phrase meanings

window in a sentence

link/cite print suggestion box