window lintels

Meanings

1. 1nounpluraltechnical

   The horizontal support beams placed above windows to carry the weight of the wall above them.

   Grammar: Plural noun; use a plural verb. The singular is 'window lintel' for one beam.

   Patterns

   • install window lintels
   • replace window lintels
   • steel window lintels

   The builder checked that the window lintels were strong enough to hold the brickwork above.

   Cracks appeared in the wall because the old window lintels had started to sag.

   They replaced the wooden window lintels with steel ones during the renovation.

2. 2nouncountabletechnical

   One horizontal beam that supports the wall directly over a single window.

   Grammar: Countable; used mainly in technical writing about one window.

   Patterns

   • a window lintel
   • fit a window lintel

   A stone window lintel was set above the opening before the glass was fitted.

   The mason measured the gap carefully to cut a new window lintel.

Word forms

Common combinations

steel window lintels

Steel window lintels are common in modern buildings because they are strong and thin.

replace window lintels

The crew had to replace the window lintels before installing the new frames.

window lintels sag

Old wooden window lintels can sag over time and crack the plaster.

install window lintels

They will install the window lintels after the walls reach the right height.

Synonyms and how they differ

window header

Common in American carpentry; it means the same support but is used more in house building than in formal architecture.

lintel

The general term for any beam over an opening, not only a window.

Word family

lintel noun

A horizontal support beam over any door, window, or opening.

Commonly confused: window lintels or window sill?

Practice

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