lintel

Etymology

From Middle English lyntel, from Old French lintel, from Vulgar Latin *līntellus, for *līmitellus, diminutive noun from līmes. Equivalent to limit + -el.

noun

1. (architecture) A horizontal structural beam spanning an opening, such as between the uprights of a door or a window, and which supports the wall above.
   Athelny had told him that he lived in a house built by Inigo Jones; he had raved, as he raved over everything, over the balustrade of old oak; and when he came down to open the door for Philip he made him at once admire the elegant carving of the lintel. 1915, W.S. Maugham, Of Human Bondage