defenestration

Advancedzipf 1.85

Pronunciation

/diːˌfɛnɪˈstreɪʃən/(dee-fen-ih-STRAY-shun)

Part of speech

nounformal

Chinese

将人抛出窗外；（比喻）罢免

Definition

The act of throwing someone out of a window; (figurative) the removal of someone from a position of power.

Word family

  • defenestrate/diːˈfɛnɪstreɪt/(v)将人抛出窗外

Collocations

  • the Defenestration of Prague
  • political defenestration
  • defenestrate a leader
  • corporate defenestration

Examples

  1. 1.The Defenestration of Prague in 1618 helped trigger the Thirty Years' War. (throwing from a window)
  2. 2.The CEO's sudden defenestration by the board caught the business world by surprise. (removal from power)

Synonyms

  • removal/rɪˈmuːvəl/— taking away from position
  • ouster/ˈaʊstə/— expulsion
  • ejection/ɪˈdʒɛkʃən/— forceful removal

Etymology

from Latin "de-" (down from) + "fenestra" (window) — literally throwing from a window — one of English's most specific words