window (English)

Where does "window" come from?

The English word "window" originates from the Old Norse term vindauga, a striking compound of vindr ("wind") and auga ("eye"). Literally meaning "wind-eye," it described the early Germanic practice of leaving unglazed openings in walls or roofs that allowed air to pass through like an eye for the wind. By way of Middle English, the word replaced the native Old English term ēagþȳrel (literally "eye-hole") to become our modern standard for describing these light-admitting apertures.

Full etymology tree

• window (English), 'An opening, usually covered by one or more panes of clear glass, to allow light and air from outside to enter a building or vehicle.'
  • inherited wyndowe (Middle English), 'A window (opening for light in a wall)'
    • borrowed vindauga (Old Norse), 'window'
      • compound vindr (Old Norse), 'wind'
        • inherited *windaz (Proto-Germanic), 'wind'
          • inherited *h₂wéh₁n̥ts (Proto-Indo-European), 'blowing'
            • derived *h₂wḗh₁ti (Proto-Indo-European), 'to blow (of wind)'
              • derived *h₂weh₁- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to blow (of wind)'
      • compound auga (Old Norse), 'eye'
        • inherited *ᚨᚢᚷᛟ (*augo) (Proto-Norse), 'eye'
          • inherited *augô (Proto-Germanic), 'eye'
            • inherited *h₃ókʷs (Proto-Indo-European), 'eye'
              • derived *h₃ekʷ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to see'

Direct ancestors

• h₂weh₁- (Proto-Indo-European)
• wyndowe (Middle English)
• vindauga (Old Norse)
• wind (English)
• eye (English)
• windae (Scots)
• vindeyga (Faroese)
• vindu (Norwegian Bokmål)

Updated July 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris