Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A small opening in an interior wall of a church, enabling those in the transept to view the main altar.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In medieval architecture, an opening in a wall, screen, or barrier of a church, to afford a view of the chief altar to worshipers in the chapels or side aisles; a squint. See squint.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun An opening made in the interior walls of a cruciform church to afford a view of the altar to those in the transepts; -- called, in architecture, a squint.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun architecture A small opening in an interior wall of a church, enabling those in the transept to view the high altar; sometimes called a squint

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From hagio- (“saint”) + -scope (“viewing instrument”)

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