oriel \o"riel\, n. of. oriol gallery, corridor, ll. oriolum
   portico, hall, prob. fr. l. aureolus gilded, applied to an
   apartment decorated with gilding. see oriole. formerly
   written also oriol, oryal, oryall.
   1913 webster
   1. a gallery for minstrels. obs. --w. hamper.
      1913 webster

   2. a small apartment next a hall, where certain persons were
      accustomed to dine; a sort of recess. obs. --cowell.
      1913 webster

   3. arch. a bay window. see bay window.
      1913 webster

            the beams that thro' the oriel shine
            make prisms in every carven glass.    --tennyson.
      1913 webster

   note: there is no generally admitted difference between a bay
         window and an oriel. in the united states the latter
         name is often applied to bay windows which are small,
         and either polygonal or round; also, to such as are
         corbeled out from the wall instead of resting on the
         ground.
         1913 webster
see also:
oriole oriol oryal oryall bay window 

oryal \o"ryal\, oryall \o"ryall\, n.
   see oriel.
   1913 webster
see also:
oriel