In architecture, a lucarne is a feature of a warehouse, mill or factory. A window or opening high up on an outside wall supports a hoist above doors on the floors below. The original term French: lucarne refers to a dormer window, usually set into the middle of a roof although it can also apply to a facade lucarne, where the gable of the lucarne is aligned with the face of the wall. This general meaning is also preserved in British use, particularly for small windows into unoccupied attic or spire spaces. Nikolaus Pevsner gives its meaning as "a small gabled opening in a roof or a spire".