fenestra

American  

[fi-nes-truh] / fɪˈnɛs trə /

noun

plural

fenestrae

1. Anatomy, Zoology. a small opening or perforation, as in a bone, especially between the middle and inner ear.

2. Entomology. a transparent spot in an otherwise opaque surface, as in the wings of certain butterflies and moths.

3. Architecture. a windowlike opening.

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fenestra British  

/ fɪˈnɛstrə /

noun

1. biology a small opening in or between bones, esp one of the openings between the middle and inner ears

2. zoology a transparent marking or spot, as on the wings of moths

3. architect a window or window-like opening in the outside wall of a building

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Other Word Forms

• fenestral adjective
• unfenestral adjective

Etymology

Origin of fenestra

1820–30; < New Latin, special use of Latin fenestra window, hole (in a wall)

Example Sentences

In most meat-eating dinosaurs, a ridge of bone provides a roof over an opening in the skull in front of the eye sockets known as the antorbital fenestra.

From Scientific American • Dec. 15, 2020

Pueri walking by the house Saw caput in fenestra, Et sunt morati for a while To see quis erat in there.

From A Handbook for Latin Clubs by Paxson, Susan

Nullus habebit separatim mordacem pavulam ad evellendas spinas si forte calcaverit absque Præposito domus et secundo: pendeatque in fenestra in qua codices collocantur.

From The Care of Books by Clark, John Willis

This encloses an open space or "fenestra," so that the neck was not completely protected above.

From Dinosaurs With Special Reference to the American Museum Collections by Osborn, Henry Fairfield

The spelling looks British, and the ancient British borrowed a good many words direct from the Latin, ffenstr for example, from fenestra, for window, doubtless a new idea to them.

From Through East Anglia in a Motor Car by Vincent, J. E. (James Edmund)