fanlight

Imagine an old house with a grand front door. Often, right above that door, you'll find a small window, usually shaped like part of a circle. That is a fanlight. It gets its name from looking a bit like an opened fan. At first, these windows were not just decorative. They also helped bring daylight into the darker hall beyond the door.

Today, fanlights are often decorative, adding style to entryways. You might see them in Georgian or Federal homes, but some modern houses use them too. They are a small detail, but they can make an entrance feel brighter and more welcoming.

A fanlight is a small window set above a doorway, usually semicircular or semi-elliptical in shape. Its name comes from the way it can look like an opened hand fan, especially when the glazing bars spread out from a central point. In older buildings, it had a practical use as well as a decorative one: before electric lighting, it helped carry daylight into entry halls and passageways that might otherwise have been dim.

Fanlights are strongly linked with Georgian and Federal architecture, where balanced design and careful detail were important. Many have patterned glazing bars that create a fan-like look, which is one of their most recognizable features.

Even so, fanlights are not limited to old buildings. Modern homes and public buildings sometimes use them to give an entrance a classic feel. In everyday speech, people may use the word more loosely for a window above a door, but the clearest meaning is a fan-shaped or half-round window in that position.

So, the next time you walk up to an elegant doorway, look above it. If you see a half-round window letting in light and adding grace to the entrance, you are probably looking at a fanlight.