Oriel

Origin

Old French oriol ("gallery, corridor"), Late Latin oriolum ("portico, hall"), probably from Latin aureolus ("gilded"), applied to an apartment decorated with gilding. See oriole.

Full definition of oriel

Noun

1. (architecture) A large polygonal recess in a building, such as a bay window.
• TennysonThe beams that thro' the oriel shine
  Make prisms in every carven glass.
2. (obsolete) A gallery for minstrels.
3. (obsolete) A small apartment next to a hall, used for dining.

Usage notes

There is no generally accepted difference between a bay window and an oriel. In the United States, the latter name is often applied to bay windows which are small, and either polygonal or round, and to those that are corbelled out from the wall instead of resting on the ground.

Anagrams

• Leroi
• Loire
• Lorie
• oiler