lintel

noun

lin·​tel ˈlin-tᵊl How to pronounce lintel (audio)
: a horizontal architectural member spanning and usually carrying the load above an opening

Illustration of lintel

Illustration of lintel
  • 1 lintel

Examples of lintel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The windows of the building on the first few floors are fortified with wide deep lintels and thick mesh iron grating. Sasha Frere-Jones, Harper's Magazine, 11 Oct. 2023 The lintel from the Nong Hong Temple joined the museum collection in 1966 as a gift from art collector Avery Brundage, and the lintel from Khao Lon Temple was acquired in 1968 as a purchase. Nora Mishanec, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Feb. 2021 The lintel from the Nong Hong Temple joined the museum collection in 1966 as a gift from art collector Avery Brundage, and the lintel from Khao Lon Temple was acquired in 1968 as a purchase, museum officials said. Lauren Hernández, SFChronicle.com, 27 Oct. 2020 Yaxchilán is notable for its detailed sculptures and limestone lintel carvings, which depict the region’s history and rulers. Tim Leffel, CNN, 31 Mar. 2023 Two artworks have been quietly repatriated since entering the museum’s holdings: a sixth-century Shiva statue stolen from a Nepal shrine in 1984 (returned in 2021) and a stone lintel depicting the god Vishnu, which disappeared from Thailand in the 1960s (returned in 1989). Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2023 Minus the door with frame and lintel. Star Tribune, 18 July 2021 Photograph by Nichole Sobecki Stonehenge, built some 5,000 years ago in southern England, first underwent conservation work in 1901 after one of the sarsens and its lintel fell—a concern for public safety. Susan Goldberg, National Geographic, 9 Dec. 2021 Enlarge / Stonehenge as viewed from the northeast, showing the post-and-lintel construction of the Sarsen Circle. Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, 4 May 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lintel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of lintel was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near lintel

Cite this Entry

“Lintel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lintel. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

lintel

noun
lin·​tel ˈlint-ᵊl How to pronounce lintel (audio)
: a horizontal piece across the top of an opening (as of a door) that carries the weight of the structure above it

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