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 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

Sensitive updates were spread out over ten months, with original features like concrete-tile floors, lintels, and exposed timber posts being repaired and restored. —Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 18 Mar. 2026

Shifting away from the Middle-earth aesthetic, the master bedroom is in the style of an Adirondack cabin, with a half-timbered ceiling, a stone fireplace topped with a driftwood lintel and his-and-hers four-poster beds. —Mark Lamster architecture Critic, Dallas Morning News, 10 Feb. 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