Definition
An opening in a wall fitted with glass that lets in light and air; a window.
Example
Elle regarde la pluie tomber par la fenêtre.
Show translation
She watches the rain fall through the window.
Etymology
From Old French *fenestre*, borrowed from Latin *fenestra* ("window, opening"), itself possibly borrowed from Etruscan. The Latin root also gave English the rare architectural term *fenestration* (the arrangement of windows in a building).
Cultural note
French windows — *les fenêtres françaises* — are a real architectural style: tall, floor-to-ceiling glass doors that open inward onto a balcony. Ironically, in French they are simply called *une porte-fenêtre* ("a door-window"), not anything particularly "French." The image of someone musing at a rain-streaked window (*regarder par la fenêtre*) is a classic motif in French literature and cinema, from Flaubert's Emma Bovary to the films of François Truffaut.