lightwell

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English

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Etymology

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From light +‎ well.

Noun

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lightwell (plural lightwells)

  1. (architecture) An open shaft that transmits light from above into a staircase or an inner room.
    Synonyms: airshaft, air well, ventilation shaft, vent shaft
    • 1907, Ronald M. Burrows, The Discoveries In Crete, page 80:
      In it a covered porch and vestibule were backed by a vertical shaft or "light-well," which served as a great window both to the vestibule itself, and to the corridors, staircases, and landings that connected it with the upper stories.
    • 2017, Kamila Shamsie, Home Fire, Bloomsbury (2018), page 240:
      The sliding glass door with its rolled-up blinds looked onto a lightwell, composed of a glass platform overhead and carefully angled mirrors that were reflecting a confusing cold light into the bedroom.

Translations

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Further reading

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