• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where Did the Word Window Come From and What Did “Window” Mean Originally?

Where Did the Word Window Come From and What Did “Window” Mean Originally?

April 19, 2020 by Karen Hill

Early Norse homes were simply designed and often included a stable area for livestock under the same roof as the humans.

In the winter, because the tightly shut doors trapped stale air and smoke from the indoor fires, they built holes high on the walls and in the roof for ventilation.

They called these openings vindr auga, which means “the wind’s eye.”

When the British copied this practice they modified “wind’s eye” to window.

Related Facts

  • How does Wood Smoke Cook and Flavor Food like Meat and Fish and What is a Mushikamado?
  • Where Does Liquid Smoke come from and How is Liquid Smoke Flavoring Made?
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed the World
  • History of Tobacco
  • What Are the Smoke Points of Common Vegetable Oils?
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed Our Lives Forever

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « How Did the Funny Bone Get its Name and Why Does it Hurt So Much When You Hit it Really Hard?
Next Post: Where Did the Words Right and Left Come From and What Do the Terms Mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy