Have you heard of defenestration?

@JudyEv (323722)
Rockingham, Australia
November 17, 2021 11:08pm CST
The only connection between the photo and the text is the window. My niece’s husband has been researching his family tree and has discovered that one of his relatives died as a result of defenestration. I thought the word would have something to do with windows as the French word for window is ‘fenêtre’ Sure enough, death occurred through falling from a second-storey window and landing on his head. There are two definitions of ‘defenestration’. One is the action of throwing someone out of a window and the other is an informal meaning as ‘the action or process of dismissing someone from a position of power or authority’. I suppose the term applies to someone falling from a window too. With his death, the family was without an income and pretty much destined for the poor-house. They didn’t mess around in those days.
20 people like this
18 responses
@BarBaraPrz (45226)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
18 Nov 21
Defenestration is such a lovely, civilised word. Another is exsanguination. In either case, ya gets killeded.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (323722)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Nov 21
Haha - I hadn't heard of exsanguination at all. Where have I been all my life that I've missed out on such beautiful words?!!
1 person likes this
@Ronrybs (17795)
• London, England
18 Nov 21
Can't remember where I first heard the word, but it seems to be used quite a lot nowadays. You have to hear the context of its use to know which meaning is being talked about. Not had a chance to use it myself... yet!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323722)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Nov 21
Apparently it is a verb too but I hope you never get defenestrated. I'm not sure it would be a good idea to defenestrate someone either!
1 person likes this
@Ronrybs (17795)
• London, England
18 Nov 21
@JudyEv Might get away with it on the ground floor!
1 person likes this
@Ronrybs (17795)
• London, England
19 Nov 21
@JudyEv One time to be grateful for falling in... manure
1 person likes this
• United States
18 Nov 21
Yes, I have. Here is an article about The Second Defenestration of Prague (and the ensuing Thirty Years War), which you might find interesting:
By Donald Hempson “Undoubtedly there is something in the Slavic nature which predisposes those of Slavic blood to open a window, and in a liberal spirit and with a large gesture invite an enemy to become an angel without further preparation or a flying mac
1 person likes this
• United States
18 Nov 21
@JudyEv I was interested in it when I was younger, too. I was the kid who loved the library.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (323722)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Nov 21
@wilsongoddard I was always in the library but not so much into history.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323722)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Nov 21
Thanks for the link and what an interesting article. As you get older, history becomes more and more interesting.
1 person likes this
@thelme55 (76376)
• Germany
18 Nov 21
Defenestration is a new word for me. Thank you for sharing. This word will add up to my dictionary.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323722)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 Nov 21
I don't think it would be a very common word but sometimes, once you learn a new word, it starts popping up all over the place. lol
1 person likes this
@thelme55 (76376)
• Germany
20 Nov 21
@JudyEv I agree with you.
1 person likes this
@CarolDM (203478)
• Nashville, Tennessee
18 Nov 21
How horrible is this meaning. I have not heard the word before. Love the photo.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323722)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 Nov 21
It seems that, years ago, it was an accepted way of getting rid of political opponents.
1 person likes this
@CarolDM (203478)
• Nashville, Tennessee
19 Nov 21
@JudyEv Interesting.
1 person likes this
@DocAndersen (54413)
• United States
18 Nov 21
Quisling, thrown from that window. yup it is a great word!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323722)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Nov 21
You learn all sorts of things the longer you live. lol
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323722)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 Nov 21
@DocAndersen The trouble is you start forgetting more and more as you get older too.
1 person likes this
@DocAndersen (54413)
• United States
18 Nov 21
@JudyEv that is true!!!!!!!!!!!!
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (168439)
• United States
18 Nov 21
With your kangaroo photo, I thought it was something akin to deforestation.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323722)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 Nov 21
That was a fair enough assumption. lol
1 person likes this
@Nawsheen (28644)
• Mauritius
18 Nov 21
This word is unknown to me. Can you see kangaroos from your window?
1 person likes this
@Nawsheen (28644)
• Mauritius
18 Nov 21
@JudyEv wow they look so cute. I would love to see them one day
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323722)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Nov 21
When we lived on our little farm, we saw lots of them every day. They would come up to drink at the bird bath.
2 people like this
@Hate2Iron (15731)
• Canada
22 Nov 21
What a great word lol... Had no idea!!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323722)
• Rockingham, Australia
22 Nov 21
I was pretty surprised too! lol
@LadyDuck (455021)
• Switzerland
18 Nov 21
I know the world that comes from new Latin fenestra means window de-fenestra out of window. It does not apply for falling from a window, it is throwing someone out of the window.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (455021)
• Switzerland
19 Nov 21
@JudyEv The word for window in Italian is finestra, that remained very close to Latin and we still use defenestrare if someone is thrown out of a window.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323722)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 Nov 21
I did wonder that but I wasn't going to argue with my nephew-in-law. Thanks for the clarification.
1 person likes this
@simone10 (54192)
• Louisville, Kentucky
18 Nov 21
Oh how sad all the way around.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (93556)
• Marion, Ohio
18 Nov 21
I learned a new word today.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323722)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 Nov 21
And I learnt it about a week ago.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (72527)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
19 Nov 21
First time I have heard about such a thing, So sad for that to have happened.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323722)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 Nov 21
It seems the method was used a lot in past centuries to get rid of political opponents.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (153180)
• United States
18 Nov 21
I recognized the word since finestra is Italian for window. What a horrible way to die!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323722)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Nov 21
Yes, poor fellow. The French and Italian words are quite similar.
1 person likes this
@sallypup (57307)
• Centralia, Washington
18 Nov 21
That's interesting history. "Off with his head?" That's awful about the guy being pushed out the window if that is what happened.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323722)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Nov 21
My relation's ancestor fell from the window. He wasn't pushed. But it was still a bad outcome.
1 person likes this
@Sojourn (13832)
• India
18 Nov 21
Dying from jumping out of a window also has a term coined against it!? In Italian window is called a "fenestra".
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323722)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Nov 21
Getting thrown from a window has a word for it. The Italian and French words are very similar.
1 person likes this
• Shenzhen, China
18 Nov 21
Sorry for the misfortune,I think the former definition of defenstration is applicable to the misfortune.Hope the broken family can resume a normal life soon.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323722)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Nov 21
This happened many years ago to a friend's ancestor. It is not a recent incident.
@Faster16 (2930)
• Indonesia
18 Nov 21
is that a kangaroo?
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323722)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Nov 21
Yes, when we lived on our small property in the country, we would see lots of kangaroos every day. Sometimes they would sleep in the garden.
1 person likes this