jalousie
jalousie Lexical Profile
jalousie Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A window constructed with overlapping horizontal glass panes or louvers that can be tilted open and closed in unison using a crank mechanism.
"She turned the small metal crank to close the jalousie as the coastal storm approached."
A blind or shutter made of angled, parallel slats designed to admit light and air while excluding rain and direct sunlight.
"The old tropical house was fitted with wooden jalousies to keep the interior cool during the hot, humid afternoons."
A baked pastry consisting of a sweet or savory filling layered between puff pastry, featuring a top crust with parallel slits that resemble slatted window blinds.
"The French bakery displayed a beautifully glazed apple jalousie, its slotted crust revealing the spiced fruit filling beneath."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'jalousie' exclusively refers to a louvered architectural feature or a similarly slotted pastry in modern English, it occasionally appears in older literary texts as a direct borrowing of the French word for 'jealousy.'
• Rhymes for jalousie
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from French 'jalousie', literally meaning 'jealousy'. The architectural sense arose in the 18th century because slatted blinds allowed people inside a home to look out without being seen, presumably shielding them from jealous or prying stares.