Defenestrated

/dɪˈfɛnəstreɪtɪd/ verb

Definition

Thrown or forced out of a window; removed from power or position in a sudden or violent way.

Etymology

From Latin 'defenestra' (de- 'out of' + fenestra 'window') + -ated (past participle). This unusual word was revived from Latin in the 1600s to describe specific historical incidents of people thrown from windows.

Kelly Says

This word was literally invented to describe real historical events—when people were thrown out of windows in Prague in 1419 and 1618, historians needed a dramatic term, so they created it from Latin! It's one of English's most perfectly named words.

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