lintel

noun

lin·​tel ˈlin-tᵊl 

: a horizontal architectural member spanning and usually carrying the load above an opening

Illustration of lintel

• 1 lintel

Examples of lintel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The interiors, updated by a past owner, didn’t gel with her own taste, but the original bones still wowed, especially the dynamic rooflines, internal masonry walls, and chunky marble accents like lintels and sills. —Sam Cochran, Architectural Digest, 22 May 2026

The lintel in question was first documented by American explorers Dana and Ginger Lamb, who traveled in the tropical forests of northern Guatemala and southern Mexico in the 1950s. —Leigh Anne Miller, ARTnews.com, 19 May 2026

The mural fills the entire wall, punctuated only by three doors, and Shahn cleverly integrates their lintels into his narrative. —Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026

God instructs Moses to tell the Israelites to slaughter a lamb and place its blood on the doorposts and lintels of their homes. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French *lintel, alteration of linter threshold, from Late Latin limitaris, from Latin, constituting a boundary, from limit-, limes boundary

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lintel

• pintle
• quintal
• quintile

Kids Definition

lintel

noun

lin·​tel ˈlint-ᵊl 

: a horizontal piece across the top of an opening (as of a door) that carries the weight of the structure above it