oriel

O1R1I1E1L1
/ˈɔːɹiəl/

noun

A large polygonal recess in a building, such as a bay window, forming a protrusion on the outer wall.

Similar
oriel window
OriginMiddle English oriel ← Old French oriol ← Late Latin oriolum →
UncommonScrabble 5
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Meanings

oriel1

nounoriel (plural oriels)

plural oriels

  1. architectureA large polygonal recess in a building, such as a bay window, forming a protrusion on the outer wall.

    The beams that thro' the Oriel shine / Make prisms in every carven glass, / And beaker brimm'd with noble wine.

    1842, Alfred Tennyson, “The Day-Dream. The Sleeping Palace.”, in Poems. […], volume II, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 151
    1 more example

    The middle window of the oriel before her, just caught and reflected back the crimson light and colour. The ground below looked bright and warm compared with the shade around.

    1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XIV, in Romance and Reality. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 202
  2. obsoleteA small apartment next to a hall, used for dining.

Oriel2

proper noun
  1. abbreviationellipsisinformalOxford UniversityEllipsis of Oriel College, Oxford.

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna projecting bay window corbeled or cantilevered out from a wall

Similar
oriel window
Broader
bay windowbow window

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinaureolus“gilded”
  2. Late Latinoriolum“portico, hall”
  3. Old Frenchoriol“gallery, corridor”
  4. Middle Englishoriel
  5. Englishoriel

From Middle English oriel, from Old French oriol (“gallery, corridor”), Late Latin oriolum (“portico, hall”), probably from Latin aureolus (“gilded”), applied to an apartment decorated with gilding. See oriole. Or a diminutive of Latin os (“mouth”).

More words from Middle English, Old French, Late Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian еркер
  • еркер (erker)recess in a building, protruding on the outer wall
Dutch erker
  • erkerrecess in a building, protruding on the outer wall
Esperanto orielo
  • orielorecess in a building, protruding on the outer wall
Finnish erkkeri
  • erkkerirecess in a building, protruding on the outer wall
French oriel
  • orielrecess in a building, protruding on the outer wall
German Erker
  • Erkerrecess in a building, protruding on the outer wall
Polish wykusz
  • wykuszrecess in a building, protruding on the outer wall

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

LoireLorieoilerLeroireoil
Cite this entry
APA

oriel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oriel

MLA

“oriel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oriel. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “oriel,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oriel.

Source: oriel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.