# Defenestration **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 24, 2007, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defenestration/401459 "2007-04-24T15:19:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defenestration/401459/41 "2007-04-24T21:12:04Z")
[QUOTE=betenoir] Wouldn’t it make more sense to defenestrate someone’s husband if you were uxorious about her? [/QUOTE] I believe the word applies to a husbands attitude toward his own wife. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defenestration/401459/42 "2007-04-24T21:12:54Z")
[QUOTE=AHunter3] They threw the city of Prague out through a pane glass window? :eek: [/QUOTE] Not the whole city – just some members of the city council, though I suppose that in a way they symbolised the city. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defenestration/401459/43 "2007-04-24T21:25:57Z")
[QUOTE=A.R. Cane] When I see a discussion like this, it reminds me of one of my favorite words: sesquipedalian [/QUOTE] I’d be [afraid to use that](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia) in an actual conversation. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defenestration/401459/44 "2007-04-24T21:31:27Z")
I’ve always been fond of _absquatulate_. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defenestration/401459/45 "2007-04-24T21:33:46Z")
[QUOTE=A.R. Cane] I believe the word applies to a husbands attitude toward his own wife. [/QUOTE] Exactly. This is one of those words that only make sense in a context of the old-timey nobility. An uxorius husband was one so hen-pecked that he didn’t even mind not having a mistress, and didn’t fuck the serving wenches, even when unaccompanied by his wife. It could also refer to a husband so dominated by his wife that he listened to her advice over the advice of male advisors. When you consider that many of these marriages were done for political reasons it makes a bit more sense to have a special word to refer to a man who actually loved his wife and didn’t sleep with other women. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defenestration/401459/46 "2007-04-24T21:44:42Z")
[QUOTE=The Controvert] How often do we use the word ‘saponification’? I’m tempted to write some code that makes SOAP calls so I can make a method called ‘saponify’. [/QUOTE] I make handmade soaps, so I use the word… Okay.\* Fine\*. I used it _once_. When I was describing the difference between making glycerin soaps and lye & fat soaps with the glycerin removed to my husband. It’s never come up again. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defenestration/401459/47 "2007-04-24T21:48:24Z")
[QUOTE=lieu] What we’re especially curious about is how did you leave it? [/QUOTE] I left through the door, same way I came in 😛 Though we did take a picture of me standing by the window, as if I had just thrown someone out. It seems they’re not sure exactly which window the people got thrown out. Incidentally, [the Defenestration of Prague that started the Thirty Years War was the second, and not the last, defenestration of Prague.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defenestrations_of_Prague) I’m not sure what’s with the inhabitants of Prague and defenestrating people. But I was generally pretty careful around windows when I was there… ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defenestration/401459/48 "2007-04-24T21:49:45Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] Denude/denudation. [/QUOTE] Isn’t that what John Ashcroft does to statues he doesn’t like? ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defenestration/401459/49 "2007-04-24T22:01:52Z")
Can you defrenstrate yourself? If not what’s the term for defrenestrating oneself?? ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defenestration/401459/50 "2007-04-24T22:31:50Z")
[QUOTE=betenoir] Can you defrenstrate yourself? If not what’s the term for defrenestrating oneself?? [/QUOTE] auto-de-fénestration. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defenestration/401459/51 "2007-04-24T22:54:43Z")
[QUOTE=betenoir] Can you defrenstrate yourself? If not what’s the term for defrenestrating oneself?? [/QUOTE] Suicide? ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defenestration/401459/52 "2007-04-24T22:57:57Z")
I use the term “fenestration” all the time. In medicine it means “to create a window”. Cervical disc disease is often addressed surgically via fenestration, which surgically decompresses the cervical spinal cord by creation of a small window. Surgical drapes that have a ready made window is called a fenestrated drape. Now, defenestration? Never heard of it until today. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defenestration/401459/53 "2007-04-24T23:00:28Z")
Didn’t the Russians use defenestration as a means of execution, after they overthrew the Czar? ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defenestration/401459/54 "2007-04-24T23:06:01Z")
Do doorways count? ‘Cause I think I may have been defenestrated out of a coupla’ bars in the past. ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defenestration/401459/55 "2007-04-24T23:25:05Z")
Whats the word for when you throw someone off a bridge? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defenestration/401459/56 "2007-04-24T23:34:39Z")
[QUOTE=mamboman] Whats the word for when you throw someone off a bridge? [/QUOTE] I believe that’s called billyjoemcallisteration. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defenestration/401459/57 "2007-04-25T02:25:46Z")
[QUOTE=Projammer] Okay. Just why do we need a word for that? [/QUOTE] Your floccinaucinihilipilification of the word only demosnstrates your hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia. ---
**Author:** ![straight\_man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/straight_man/32/3027_2.png) [@straight\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straight_man)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defenestration/401459/58 "2007-04-25T02:33:53Z")
Words like “defenstration” demonstrate that we need to be more praguematic about what words go in our dictionaries. Yeah, I’m an AP European History nerd. What of it? ---
**Author:** ![DataZak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea666f/32.png) [@DataZak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataZak)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defenestration/401459/59 "2007-04-25T02:41:47Z")
[QUOTE=Projammer] How many other words are out there because someone was bored and decided to create one? [/QUOTE] antidisestablishmentarianism What’s wrong with “conservative”? ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defenestration/401459/60 "2007-04-25T04:31:58Z")
Okay. How about an [interrobang](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interrobang)? Anyone every actually seen one used? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defenestration/401459.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defenestration/401459.md?page=4)