oriel

Meanings

1. A large polygonal recess in a building, such as a bay window, forming a protrusion on the outer wall.
2. A small apartment next to a hall, used for dining.

1. Ellipsis of Oriel College, Oxford.

Etymology

From Middle English oriel, from Old French oriol (“gallery, corridor”), Late Latin oriolum (“portico, hall”), probably from Latin aureolus (“gilded”), applied to an apartment decorated with gilding. See oriole. Or a diminutive of Latin os (“mouth”).