fenestration

noun

fen·​es·​tra·​tion ˌfe-nə-ˈstrā-shən 

1

: the arrangement, proportioning, and design of windows and doors in a building

2

: an opening in a surface (such as a wall or membrane)

3

: the operation of cutting an opening in the bony labyrinth between the inner ear and tympanum to replace natural fenestrae that are not functional

Examples of fenestration in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mongolian gerbils who receive semicircular canal fenestration in their left inner ears offer a successful animal model for superior semicircular canal dehiscence. —Michael W. Clune, Harper’s Magazine , 10 Apr. 2023

Christine Marvin is Chief Marketing + Experience Officer at Marvin, a leading manufacturer of premium fenestration solutions. —Christine Marvin, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2023

The fenestration and zigzagging rhythms of dark exposed timbers on a white façade give each house here a personality. —Richard B. Woodward, WSJ, 10 Aug. 2022

This process, called fenestration, is more precise than using a saw. —Kat McGowan, Discover Magazine, 2 May 2010

With the flip of a switch, the entire upper half of the car deconstructs like an origami swan unfolding, and once the clamshells, flaps and fenestration settle down, a sleek convertible reveals itself. —Wesley Tudor, Robb Report, 1 Feb. 2022

They were also tasked with installing the almost 7,000-square-feet of triple-pane, sliding steel thermal doors and windows from famed Italian fenestration experts Brombal. —Howard Walker, Robb Report, 14 Dec. 2021

The machines are then able to effortlessly create the fenestration and conduits for doors, windows, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and information technology infrastructure. —Jennifer Castenson, Forbes, 23 June 2021

The Bauhaus was top of the list, and Johnson, too, fell hard for Gropius’s unadorned facades and industrial fenestration. —Jason Farago, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1846, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

fenestration

noun

fen·​es·​tra·​tion ˌfen-ə-ˈstrā-shən 

1

a

: a natural or surgically created opening in a surface

b

: the presence of such openings

2

: a surgical procedure that involves cutting an opening in the bony labyrinth between the inner ear and tympanum to replace natural fenestrae that are not functional (as in otosclerosis)