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window

n. · v.
US //ˈwɪndoʊ// UK //wˈɪndəʊ// win·dow
  1. 1 opening in a wall (n.)
    A1 Beginner

    an opening in a building or car, usually with glass, that lets in light and air.

    an opening in a wall or vehicle, typically containing glass panes within a frame, designed to admit light and air.

    Example

    She opened the window to let some fresh air into the room.

    Example

    The architect designed floor-to-ceiling windows to maximise the natural light and provide an unobstructed view of the valley.
  2. 2 computing (n.)
    A2 Elementary Computing

    a rectangular area on a computer screen that shows a specific program or page.

    a separate viewing area on a computer monitor, typically rectangular, that displays a specific application or document.

    Example

    You can drag the browser window to the other side of the screen.

    Example

    The developer kept multiple terminal windows open simultaneously to monitor the server logs while deploying the new code.
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  1. 3 period of opportunity (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a short amount of time when it is possible to do something.

    a limited period of time during which an opportunity exists or an action can be performed.

    Example

    We have a small window of time to finish the project before the deadline.

    Example

    The launch was delayed because the weather conditions did not align with the narrow three-hour window required for a safe ascent.
  2. 4 medical/testing (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Medicine

    the time between getting an infection and when a test can find it.

    the interval between the initial infection by a pathogen and the point at which it becomes detectable by diagnostic tests.

    Example

    The doctor explained that the virus might not show up during the window period.

    Example

    Modern screening techniques have significantly reduced the window period for detecting blood-borne pathogens after exposure.
    • incubation period
  3. 5 geology (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Science

    a hole in a layer of rock that lets you see the older rock underneath.

    an opening in a tectonic unit, such as a thrust sheet, that exposes the underlying rocks.

    Example

    The hikers looked at the geological window where the older granite was visible.

    Example

    The erosion of the overlying limestone created a tectonic window, revealing the metamorphic basement rock beneath the thrust sheet.
    • fenster
  4. 6 to provide with windows (v.)
    C1 Advanced Formal

    to put windows into a building or a room.

    to furnish or fit a structure with windows. Transitive — takes a direct object.

    Example

    The new extension was windowed with large glass panels.

    Example

    The cathedral's clerestory is heavily windowed to allow light to penetrate the deep recesses of the nave.
Origin

From Middle English wyndowe, wyndown—itself from Old Norse vindauga, a compound of vindr “wind” and auga “eye”. The Norse word spread across the North Sea into Scots (windae, windock), Faroese (vindeyga), Norwegian (vindu, vindauge), Danish (vindue), and even the forest dialect of Elfdalian (windog), while elbowing out the native Old English ēagþȳrel (“eye-hole”), whose last wheeze survives in the dialect word eyethurl.

A wind-eye was exactly what it said: an unglazed aperture in wall or roof through which the weather could look in and the smoke could look out. Glass arrived later, but the name had already stuck, like a draught that refuses to leave the room.

Idioms2 entries

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