fenestration

noun fen·es·tra·tion \ ˌfe-nə-ˈstrā-shən \

Definition of fenestration

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

Recent Examples of fenestration from the Web

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, "These Obsessive Men of MoMA Furnished Your Modernist Home," 7 Sep. 2017
The surrounding decoration stretches and compresses to suit the ever-changing fenestration.

— blake gopnik, New York Times, "Reviving the Joy of Decoration at Nike’s New SoHo Building," 1 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fenestration.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of fenestration

1846

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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Medical Dictionary

fenestration

noun fen·es·tra·tion \ ˌfen-ə-ˈstrā-shən \

medical Definition of fenestration

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)