louver

noun lou·ver \ ˈlü-vər \

variants: or louvre

|Updated on: 29 May 2018

Definition of louver

1 : a roof lantern or turret often with slatted apertures for escape of smoke or admission of light in a medieval building

2 a : an opening provided with one or more slanted fixed or movable fins to allow flow of air but to exclude rain or sun or to provide privacy

b : a finned or vaned device for controlling a flow of air or the radiation of light

c : a fin or shutter of a louver

—

louvered

or less commonly louvred play \ˈlü-vərd\ adjective

See louver defined for English-language learners

See louver defined for kids

Recent Examples of louver from the Web

There’s a city ordinance requiring parking decks to be screened with metal louvers or grates, but the imposing, blank facade still represented a daunting challenge to the building's appearance.

— ely portillo, charlotteobserver, "Here's how a developer is turning a drab parking deck into a huge Charlotte art piece | Charlotte Observer," 15 May 2018
Other materials include concrete, while details like industrial fittings, glass louvers, wood-burning stove, paneled walls, and built-in storage elevate the design beyond the rustic.

— lauren ro, Curbed, "Gorgeous A-frame retreat is also off-grid," 11 May 2018
At the rear, a combination of Gurney flaps and louvers direct air away from the deck, creating a low-pressure area that draws hot air out of the engine bay.

— erik johnson, Car and Driver, "McLaren Senna GTR: A $1.4 Million, 814-Plus-HP Track-Bound Ballistic Missile," 6 Mar. 2018
Elsewhere in the museum, the louver patterns are reflected directly onto the glass, like a bar code.

— nikil saval, New York Times, "Kengo Kuma’s Architecture of the Future," 15 Feb. 2018
The American Restaurant Other unique design elements include terraced landings, wood louvers on the windows and lots of gleaming brass accents.

— sarah gish, kansascity, "This stunning Kansas City restaurant is the James Beard Foundation's 2018 Design Icon | The Kansas City Star," 7 Mar. 2018
Throughout his buildings, unfinished beams and panels intersect with smoother, thinner louvers.

— nikil saval, New York Times, "Kengo Kuma’s Architecture of the Future," 15 Feb. 2018
The textured taillights and protruding dual exhaust tips are fantastic details, but unfortunately, Lego wasn’t able to find a way to incorporate the signature quarter-window louvers.

— tony markovich, Car and Driver, "Fastbrick: Ford and Lego Snap Together a 1968 Mustang Fastback Kit for the Seven-Year-Old in Everyone," 9 Feb. 2018
Construction Resources also found: Missing louver blades.

— bob sandrick, cleveland.com, "Strongsville's landmark clock tower needs repairs; city officials mum on when that might happen," 12 Dec. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of louver

Middle English lover, from Anglo-French

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

LOUVER Defined for English Language Learners

louver

noun

Definition of louver for English Language Learners

: an opening in a door or window that has one or more slanted strips to allow air to flow in and out while keeping out rain and sun
: one of the slanted strips of a louver