clerestory

English

Nave and clerestory of St Michael's Church, Aylsham, UK

Alternative forms

• clearstory, clerstory

Etymology

From Middle English clerestory, from clere (“clear: light, lighted”) + story (“storey/story: level of a building”).

Pronunciation

• (General American, Canada) enPR: klîr'-stôr-ē, IPA^(key): /ˈklɪəɹ.stɔːɹi/
• Hyphenation: clere‧stor‧y

Noun

clerestory (plural clerestories)

1. (architecture) The upper part of a wall containing windows to let in natural light to a building, especially in the nave, transept and choir of a church or cathedral.
   • 1939 July, “Overseas Railways: Baltic Island Railways”, in Railway Magazine, page 49:

     On the Visby-Västerhejde Railway there is a steam car. [...] The upperworks consist of a short clerestory coach body with end platforms and the engine chimney protruding from the roof like a stovepipe.

   • 1951 January, “The Inner Circle and its Rolling Stock”, in Railway Magazine, page 59:

     The cars built before 1913 had clerestory roofs, after the American style, and also were provided with gates and end vestibule platforms requiring gatemen.

Derived terms

• clerestoried

 

Translations

upper part of a wall containing windows

• Dutch: lichtbeuk m
• Finnish: klerestorio
• French: clair-étage (fr) m, claire-voie (fr) f

  Old French: cler estor m

• German: Lichtgaden m, Obergaden (de) m, Fenstergaden m
• Irish: gléstór m, barrbhalla fuinneogach m
• Italian: cleristorio (it) m
• Spanish: claristorio m
• Welsh: llofft olau f

See also

• triforium