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 museum had previously returned another object—the Vishnu lintel—to the same temple in the 1988. —Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 18 June 2024

Although visually arresting, the actions on these lintels take place within the confines of the mundane world. —James L. Fitzsimmons, The Conversation, 1 May 2024

In 1988, the museum returned to Thailand a large fragment of the Vishnu lintel, part of a horizontal doorway support thought to have been looted from the temple in in the early 1960s. —News Desk, Artforum, 20 June 2024

Since its return, the lintel was restored to the structure. —Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 18 June 2024

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

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