🪟 A window above 💡 To make too bright

overlight

8.6

A small window above a door that lets light into a room

noun
/ˈoʊvərˌlaɪt/

: ventana superior

After the renovation, more sunlight streamed through the new overlight in the hallway.

Examples

The old house had a beautiful stained glass overlight above the main entrance.
They cleaned the dusty overlight to brighten up the front room.
The overlight above the door brightens the hallway.
Many homes feature an overlight for added natural light.
The old house had a beautiful stained glass overlight above the main entrance.
After the renovation, more sunlight streamed through the new overlight in the hallway.
Many homes feature an overlight for added natural light.

Synonyms

fanlight

vsoverlight

1 8.2

A small curved window above a door that lets light in

is a small plain glass panel above openings mainly for extra light

window light

vsoverlight

4.2

A single piece of glass in a window

is set above doors or larger windows rather than within the window frame

How Bright

shaft of light

4 3.5

skylight

35 3.4

window light

3.2

overlight

8.6

fanlight

1 8.2

Surface Forms

overlight singular

overlights plural

Morphology

overlight = light (semi-transparent) = over + light

The prefix 'over' suggests 'above' or 'beyond', but the specific architectural meaning of a window above a door is not immediately obvious.

Etymology

Overlight comes from over- meaning 'above' and light meaning 'light'. It is like 'light from above', so an overlight is a small window set above a door or window to bring extra light into a room.