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Glite Dictionary
lancet window

lancet window

9.6
A tall narrow window with a pointed top often in old churches
  • noun
  • /ˈlæn.sɪt ˈwɪn.doʊ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ventana lancetada
  • As I approached the historic building, I admired the intricate design of the lancet windows that topped its tall walls.

Examples

  • The Gothic church featured several elegant lancet windows, each framed with beautifully carved stonework.

  • He saw her through one of the little lancet windows that opened on the front loggia of the house, and he watched her for quite a long while.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • The ancient cathedral was adorned with stunning lancet windows that let in streams of colorful light.

Synonyms

lancet
vslancet window
  • Specialized
5 9.3

A tall narrow arch with a sharp point used in Gothic churches

is the pointed curved top for a glazed opening usually without decorative tracery
lancet arch
vslancet window
  • Specialized
9.9

A tall narrow pointed arch common in early Gothic churches

is the pointed curved top for a glazed opening usually without decorative tracery

How Narrow

lancet window
  • Specialized
9.6
sash window
  • Specialized
1 4.3

Surface Forms

lancet window singular
lancet windows plural

Morphology

lancet + window

The modifier 'lancet' denotes a pointed-arch shape, so combined with 'window' the meaning 'a window with a pointed arch' is directly derivable from the constituents. This is a straightforward noun–noun compositional pattern (shape + object) that a B1 learner who knows both words can infer.

Etymology

Lancet window may come from the word lancet, which comes from lance, a thin pointed 'spear'. Because a 'spear' is long and pointed, the name was used for windows that are tall, narrow and end in a point, so today lancet window means that kind of window.