Is the word "defenestration" used in English other than in the phrase "defenestration(s) of Prague"? Does the word have an independent existence or is it in practice tied to Prague in much the same way as "spick" is to "span"?

mikeBarr81

Its two main uses mean to exit through a window or to discard something in hope of improving things. Because of this it is used in connection to computers. The act of closing windows on a computer in order to improve the performance of a different program is known as defenstration. Also, the act of removing Microsoft Windows from a computer in favour of a better operating system (normally Linux) is also known as defenstration. http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=defenestration [Oct 17 04 11:20 AM] mikeBarr81 writes: Sorry, it's more specific than exiting through a window. It is throwing someone or something out of a window. Oct 17 04, 10:18 AM

romeomikegolf

As an ex firefighter, we had to learn how to fight fires in defenestrated buildings, ie cellars etc. It is not a common expression, but yes, it is used. Oct 17 04, 10:52 AM

TabbyTom

From the examples given in the Oxford English Dictionary, it seems that the word, coined in English soon after the incident in Prague, was for about three centuries used only in connection with Prague. No doubt people felt the need for a convenient word for the historical event, to translate the German “Prager Fenstersturz.” In 1915 the “Literary Digest” is quoted as saying “The word ‘defenestrate’ means ‘to throw out of the window,’ but there is no good authority for its use.” Subsequently, in the twentieth century, there are occasional uses in a more general sense, and Cyril Connolly uses “defenestrated” to mean windowless. The OED quotations all strike me as a bit jokey: I don’t think the word can really be taken seriously except with reference to Prague in 1618. Oct 17 04, 11:51 AM

peasypod

...and on a lighter note, check out #44078... Oct 17 04, 10:32 PM

mibmob

It used to be mediaeval punishment for traitors. The assassins of Charles the Good of Flanders were defenestered in Bruges in the middle ages. The tower is still there. Oct 18 04, 6:35 AM