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Defenestration Lyrics by Merriam-Webster

Merriam-Webster Ask the Editor

2012

Welcome to Ask the Editor. I'm Kory Stamper, an Associate Editor at Merriam-Webster.
When people find out what I do for a living, they are always ready to tell me what their favorite word is. One popular one is "defenestration," a word that means "the act of throwing someone or something out a window." Now, part of why people love this word is that it's so odd, and the story behind it is even odder.
In 1609, the Emperor of Bohemia granted freedom of religious expression to the Protestants in Prague. Eight years later, his very Catholic cousin gained control of Bohemia, and this cousin sent officials to stop construction on two new Protestant churches. Protestants in Prague were understandably not pleased, so in 1618, a group of Protestants tried two governors who aided the Catholic officials, found them guilty of violating their earlier decree, and threw them out the window of Prague Castle. Some reports say they fell about 100 feet but were unharmed. Catholics said that angels bore them up, and Protestants said they were saved by the large pile of manure they fell into.
News of this event spread fairly quickly—in fact, this event is what started the Thirty Years' War—and, of course, every quirky news event needs a good title. And thus was born "defenestration"—from the Latin prefix de-, meaning "out" or "from," and the Latin fenestra, meaning "window."
The best part of this story—this event is technically known as the Second Defenestration of Prague. The First Defenestration of Prague occurred about 200 years earlier. There hasn't been a Third Defenestration of Prague, but I'd stay away from windows when going through Prague Castle ... just be safe.
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Merriam-Webster

Merriam-Webster

About “Defenestration” by Merriam-Webster

Read the complete lyrics to "Defenestration" by Merriam-Webster from the album "Merriam-Webster Ask the Editor" in 2012. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Literature.

"Defenestration" is performed by Merriam-Webster. from the album "Merriam-Webster Ask the Editor" in 2012 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Defenestration", explore more songs by Merriam-Webster using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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"Defenestration" is credited to Merriam-Webster. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Defenestration" appears on "Merriam-Webster Ask the Editor" in 2012.

Visit the Merriam-Webster artist page at /artist/merriam-webster for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.