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Defenestration

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Defenestration is the action of throwing something, especially a person, out of a window. The word comes from the Latin de- (down or away from) and fenestra (window or opening).[1]

History of the word

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The word comes from two events in history that took place in Prague. In 1419, seven town officials were thrown from the town hall, which started the Hussite War. In 1618, two Imperial governors and their secretary were thrown from Prague Castle, which started the Thirty Years War. Both events, particularly the one in 1618, were called the Defenestration of Prague and gave rise to the word and to the idea.

Other famous defenestrations

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Giorgio Vasari's impression of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre

References

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  1. Douglas Harper (2001). "defenestration". Online Etymological Dictionary.
  2. May 19, Lori Culbert Updated; 2017 (24 November 2001). "Story of a shattered life: A single childhood incident pushed Dawn Crey into a downward spiral - Vancouver Sun". {{cite web}}: |last2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. "Claims of 'incitement to suicide' after journalist falls to his death". Archived from the original on 2007-05-15. Retrieved 2010-12-07.
  4. Palestinian gunmen target Haniyeh's home in Gaza, Associated Press, 11/06/2007 [1]