Window
An opening in a wall fitted with glass
Language Origin
Old Norse
Entered English
13thth century
The Story Behind the Word
Window is one of the most common English words with a Viking origin. It comes from the Old Norse vindauga, which is simply vindr (wind) + auga (eye). Literally: "wind eye" — a hole in a wall that lets the wind look in (or you look out).
Old Norse had a massive influence on English during the Viking Age (8th–11th centuries), especially in northern England. Many everyday words we use without a second thought — sky, egg, knife, husband, ugly — all come from the Norse settlers.
Before Norse influence, the Old English word for window was ēagdȳrel — literally "eye-hole." The Norse term was so much simpler and more poetic that it took over completely.
Example in Context
"She sat by the window, watching the rain streak down the glass."
Did You Know?
Other Viking words we use daily: "sky," "egg," "knife," "ugly," "husband," "take," "they," "them," "their" — all Old Norse.
