Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To throw out of a window.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb to throw (something or someone) out of a window.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To
eject or throw (someone or something) from a window; comparetransfenestrate . - verb transitive To
throw out . - verb computing, transitive, humorous, slang To remove a Windows
operating system from a computer.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb throw through or out of the window
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
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Examples
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I'm so happy I finally got to use that word "defenestrate" in my writing.
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Did you know that "defenestrate" means to throw something or someone out of a window?
Anime Nano! 2009
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But I should think that CNN, MSNBC and ... well, just CNN and MSNBC, really ... would actually like to have the comfort of knowing that their on-air spouters and sermonizers weren't total hypocrites, and would defenestrate hosts who violate basic standards.
Lou Dobbs, evil idiot Michael Tomasky 2010
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Nevertheless, whether it likes it or not, the University of Glasgow is still my alma mater and, truant and impostor though I may have been, I am saddened at its proposals to defenestrate its excellent modern languages department.
Who will awaken the talents of our poorest kids? | Kevin McKenna 2011
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Graham says that many Republicans would rather defenestrate themselves than work with the White House.
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The former was present with Washington's decision to defenestrate the Taliban regime after it hosted al-Qaeda.
Doug Bandow: Germany's Lesson for America: Wars of Necessity, not Choice 2010
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Graham says that many Republicans would rather defenestrate themselves than work with the White House.
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Let the fear flow, and the public know, that you will not be afraid to defend yourself and your authority -- or to defenestrate those who violate the public trust.
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I am hoping for a hung parliament so the Tories can defenestrate him.
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The former was present with Washington's decision to defenestrate the Taliban regime after it hosted al-Qaeda.
Doug Bandow: Germany's Lesson for America: Wars of Necessity, not Choice 2010
snowsim commented on the word defenestrate
"If someone tries to sell you some Windows™, tell him to defenestrate himself." — Crispin Cowan
April 11, 2007
sblowes commented on the word defenestrate
"The monster, in his consternation,
Demonstrates defenestration,
And runs and runs and runs and runs away.
Rid of the pest,
I now can rest,
Thanks to my best friend, who saved the day."
September 11, 2007
jeffazi commented on the word defenestrate
to throw through or out of the window; "The rebels stormed the palace and defenestrated the President"
October 31, 2007
uselessness commented on the word defenestrate
There's a great scene in A Beautiful Mind where Charles, the "prodigal roommate," defenestrates the desk of a collegiate John Nash. The best part is (not to spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it) discovering what that scene really means later on.
November 1, 2007
chained_bear commented on the word defenestrate
I had a theatre professor who told me the story of a dare--I don't know if this is a current, ongoing dare, or happened once in, say, the '60s--in which actors in the Royal Shakespeare Company had to work into their performance a certain phrase without throwing off their lines or the play's action.
The phrase was "defenestration of Prague."
November 1, 2007
cathari commented on the word defenestrate
See my comment over at this list regarding how to fenestrate things.
November 1, 2007
chained_bear commented on the word defenestrate
Yes, but can you fenestrate Prague?
November 1, 2007
cathari commented on the word defenestrate
Only by selling Windows to Pragueians. (Praguers? Pragueites? Praguesmen? Praguese?)
November 1, 2007
uselessness commented on the word defenestrate
Pragmatists?
November 1, 2007
laiane commented on the word defenestrate
I, too, learned this word in relation to Prague. I first encountered it a travel guide (The Rough Guide series, I'm sure). It talked about if you stood at a certain spot in the Castle you could "contemplate the trajectory" of the advisors when they were defenestrated.
November 30, 2007
bilby commented on the word defenestrate
Like this word. But it's over-listed here so I won't join in. With finestra (Italian), finetre (French) and Fenster (German), it seems there's a grand European tradition of chucking people out of windows.
November 30, 2007
chained_bear commented on the word defenestrate
Are those words all verbs in their respective languages? I think "das Fenster" just means window... right?
November 30, 2007
bilby commented on the word defenestrate
Nouns, babe, just nouns. Escalation can be a wonderful thing.
November 30, 2007
super-logos commented on the word defenestrate
In my town, a man defenestrated all of the second floor furniture from the second floor windows and was hauled off to the regional asylum.
August 12, 2008
gangerh commented on the word defenestrate
Weird town yours, logos. I mean, it's surely normal to throw second floor furniture from a second floor window if you want to defenestrate it. If someone wanted to use the first floor window or, insanely, the sixteenth floor window instead then asylum, yes.
August 12, 2008
super-logos commented on the word defenestrate
Defenestration is not in vogue in the US. I suppose if there were a fire or divorce proceedings, it is possible. We lack the good old-fashioned chaos of a Russia or Europe where this type of thing gets more play. I cannot visualize this word without smoke, riot police, mobs, and Molotov cocktails.
August 13, 2008
bilby commented on the word defenestrate
If you've ever lived in the historic centre of a European town/city that hasn't changed much since the late Middle Ages, this word makes more sense. The staircases are narrow, often winding. In many cases it's just easier to get stuff to/from an apartment through the window rather than via the stairs. There was also a great tradition of just heaving things out the window, after which they became somebody else's problem, eg. nightsoil. It's hard to imagine life in such places without a word like defenestrate.
August 15, 2008
wordwench commented on the word defenestrate
I long for the day when I get to subjectively use this word in my memoirs.
October 1, 2008
reesetee commented on the word defenestrate
Wouldn't you first have to do some defenestrating? Or will it be one of those memoirs? ;-)
October 1, 2008
sionnach commented on the word defenestrate
Ooh look! It's past the double century. Municipal celebrations in Prague!
November 4, 2008
bilby commented on the word defenestrate
I know schadenfreude (404) has a few misspellings, but the def- count is split between this (224) and defenestration (191), total 415.
June 2, 2009
mollusque commented on the word defenestrate
Excellent observation, bilby! There are also 2 for defenestrated. I don't suppose we can count unfenestrated.
June 3, 2009
skipvia commented on the word defenestrate
If you throw someone out of a window and they crawl back in, are they then refenestrated?
June 3, 2009
mollusque commented on the word defenestrate
Yes, as opposed to undefenestrated, as discussed at unfenestrated.
June 3, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word defenestrate
If you throw someone out a window and they crawl back in and happen to bring with them a landscape of broken rock fragments, are they then rescreefenestrated?
June 3, 2009
reesetee commented on the word defenestrate
*howls with laughter*
June 3, 2009
gangerh commented on the word defenestrate
So if they're howling with laughter they're reeseteefenestrated then?
June 3, 2009
reesetee commented on the word defenestrate
*rubs head*
Hey! Who tossed me out the window?
June 3, 2009
bilby commented on the word defenestrate
Sometimes it can be very difficult to make a mundane point on Wordie :-)
June 3, 2009
skipvia commented on the word defenestrate
If the poor chap being tossed out of the window has the misfortune to lose his...ummm...family jewels to an inconveniently placed shard of broken glass, is he then defenecastrated?
I don't imagine he'd attempt to crawl back in.
June 3, 2009
reesetee commented on the word defenestrate
*cringing*
June 3, 2009
Prolagus commented on the word defenestrate
If you throw qroqqa out of a window, are you dereferencetrating Wordie?
June 3, 2009
mollusque commented on the word defenestrate
If you through sionnach out a window are you defennecstrating?
June 3, 2009
bilby commented on the word defenestrate
See defennecstrate.
June 3, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word defenestrate
AWWW!!! *weejies* I totally forgot about that picture!! :)
So, if you defenestrate someone who then crawls back in and becomes refenestrated, and this person brings a landscape (etc., etc.) and is therefore rescreefenestrated, and perhaps this person himself then throws qroqqa and sionnach out the window, and Wordie and sionnach then become dereferencestrated and defennecstrated, respectively, but the original defenestrator is then flung out the window and accidentally defenecastrated and does not attempt to climb back in, and all the while reesetee is reeseteefenestrating, then, is it faster to Paris, or by bus?
June 3, 2009
milosrdenstvi commented on the word defenestrate
defenestly!
June 3, 2009
yo commented on the word defenestrate
IMG/Users/ILOVEGAVIN/Desktop/emo.jpg/IMG
defenestly!
July 9, 2009
yo commented on the word defenestrate
defenestly!
July 9, 2009
bilby commented on the word defenestrate
I don't get why on it's on this page.
August 31, 2009
PossibleUnderscore commented on the word defenestrate
I'm not entirely sure either...but maybe it has something to do with defenestrating blades?
August 31, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word defenestrate
I don't get why it's so friggin' HUGE on this page.
August 31, 2009
yarb commented on the word defenestrate
Can it be removed? It's rather vile.
August 31, 2009
Prolagus commented on the word defenestrate
You could ask user yo.
September 1, 2009
PossibleUnderscore commented on the word defenestrate
Why Is It Still Here??
September 7, 2009
592806272 commented on the word defenestrate
http://bit.ly/QiCBq: "A word invented for one incident: the "Defenestration of Prague," May 21, 1618, when two Catholic deputies to the Bohemian national assembly and a secretary were tossed out the window (into a moat) of the castle of Hradshin by Protestant radicals. It marked the start of the Thirty Years War."
September 13, 2010
Lannisfire commented on the word defenestrate
I'd like to defenestrate my brother.
April 3, 2017
woiqhyyi commented on the word defenestrate
To throw out a window
December 15, 2020