lintel

[ lin-tl ]

noun

1. a horizontal architectural member supporting the weight above an opening, as a window or a door.

lintel

/ ˈlɪntəl /

noun

1. a horizontal beam, as over a door or window

Word History and Origins

Origin of lintel¹

1350–1400; Middle English lyntel < Middle French lintel, dissimilated variant of *linter < Latin līmitāris originally, belonging to or indicating a boundary; later taken as synonym of līmināris originally, of the threshold. See limit, -ar ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of lintel¹

C14: via Old French probably from Late Latin līmitāris (unattested) of the boundary, influenced in meaning by līminaris of the threshold

Example Sentences

"One high-speed line for the west, one for the east and - across the fireplace - a lintel, Northern Powerhouse rail," he says.

From BBC

In 2021, the San Francisco Asian Art Museum returned two hand-carved religious artifacts — sandstone lintels dating back to the 9th and 10th centuries — to the Thai government.

From Seattle Times

Finding a Miyake event in wood from a Mesoamerican structure—such as a lintel in the Maya temple Tikal in Guatemala, whose construction is recorded in the Long Count—would settle the matter.

From Science Magazine

They restored the bronze lintels and pink granite along Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard.

From New York Times

The most famous mention of the society, aside from stone inscriptions found in museums and private collections, appeared in lintels over doorways at Bonampak, in which Sak Tz’i’ captives are depicted defeated and humiliated.

From New York Times

Related Words

• girder
• joist
• piling
• pillar
• plank
• pole
• shaft
• sill
• timber