What term describes the tall, narrow windows typically found in Gothic churches?

Tall, narrow windows with pointed arches typical of early Gothic churches are called lancet windows.

The name comes from their resemblance to a lance. A lancet is usually a single-light window without elaborate tracery, emphasizing a slender vertical opening and a sharply pointed arch. Gothic builders used this form to bring light into tall stone walls while reinforcing the style’s preference for verticality.

Lancet windows appeared in the early French Gothic period, roughly from 1140 to 1200, and became especially characteristic of England’s Early English Gothic architecture from about 1200 to 1275. Groups of lancets could be arranged side by side or stepped in height.

Rose windows are a common source of confusion. They are large circular windows filled with radial tracery, while an oculus is generally a round opening. Dormer windows belong primarily to roof structures, not the defining vertical window vocabulary of Gothic churches.