spandrel

noun

span·​drel ˈspan-drəl 

variants or less commonly spandril

1

: the sometimes ornamented space between the right or left exterior curve of an arch and an enclosing right angle

2

: the triangular space beneath the string of a stair

Illustration of spandrel

• S spandrel 1

Examples of spandrel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The ironwork on the railings and lack of a spandrel wall are technological innovations of their time — but only of their time. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026

Instead of empty building space, countless species exhibit physical spandrels thanks to the summation of other useful anatomical features. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 12 Feb. 2026

Ultimately, spandrels remind us that what looks like intention or design can sometimes just be the side effect of other instincts – a pattern that emerges, not a strategy that evolved. — Bronwyn Thompson, New Atlas, 7 June 2025

After Friday’s initial gusty winds subsided, firefighters got a better handle on the blaze, which at one point threatened the iconic open-spandrel Bixby Canyon Bridge. — Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2022

In a sense, the spandrel is leftover space, a byproduct of building with arches. — Melissa Mohr, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Dec. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Middle English spandrell, from Anglo-French spaunder, from espandre to spread out — more at spawn

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for spandrel

• mandrel