defenestrate

Advancedzipf 1.04

Pronunciation

/diːˈfɛnɪstreɪt/(dee-FEN-ih-strayt)

Part of speech

verbformal/humorous

Chinese

将…从窗户扔出；罢免

Definition

To throw someone out of a window; (figurative) to remove someone from a position of authority abruptly.

Word family

  • defenestration/diːˌfɛnɪˈstreɪʃən/(n)抛出窗外/罢免

Collocations

  • politically defenestrated
  • defenestrate a leader
  • corporate defenestration
  • threat of defenestration

Examples

  1. 1.The board defenestrated the CEO after the accounting scandal became public. (removed from power abruptly)
  2. 2.The most famous defenestration in history occurred in Prague in 1618, sparking the Thirty Years' War. (throwing from a window)

Synonyms

  • oust/aʊst/— force out
  • remove/rɪˈmuːv/— take away from position
  • eject/ɪˈdʒɛkt/— force out

Etymology

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