Jalousie window Jalousie window A jalousie window (, ) or louvre window (Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia, United Kingdom) is a window composed of parallel glass, acrylic, or wooden louvres set in a frame. The louvres are joined onto a track so that they may be tilted open and shut in unison to control airflow, usually by turning a crank. Jalousie is the French word for jealousy. It originated in 18th century France from the Italian word "geloso", which means jealous, or screen, as in to screen something from view. Supposedly because of their slatted louvres, jalousie windows protect the
Palladian architecture yet strictly neoclassical in its chaste ornament and noble austerity." One of the adaptations made to Palladianism in America was that the piano nobile now tended to be placed on the ground floor, rather than above a service floor, as was the tradition in Europe. This service floor, if it existed at all, was now a discreet semi-basement. This negated the need for an ornate external staircase leading to the main entrance as in the more original Palladian designs. This would also be a feature of the neoclassical style that followed Palladianism. The only two houses in the United States—from