glass
glass
Pronunciation
glas - /ɡlæs/
/ɡ/ - voiced velar stop
/l/ - voiced lateral approximant
/æ/ - near-open front unrounded vowel
/s/ - voiceless alveolar fricative
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: glass
Plural Noun: glasses
Verb (base form): glass
Verb (third-person singular present): glasses
Verb (present participle): glassing
Verb (past tense/past participle): glassed
Adjective: glass (e.g., "a glass table")
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition: A hard, brittle, transparent or translucent amorphous solid, typically made by fusing sand with soda and lime and cooling rapidly. It is primarily used for windows, bottles, and other transparent objects.
Synonyms: crystal, pane, sheet
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms, as it refers to a material)
Definition: A drinking vessel made of glass, typically cylindrical with a wide mouth, used for beverages.
Synonyms: tumbler, goblet, chalice, mug (sometimes)
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms)
Definition: The contents of a glass, or the amount that a glass can hold.
Synonyms: drink, draught, measure
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms)
Definition: (Often plural, "glasses") A pair of lenses set in a frame, worn on the nose and ears to correct or assist defective eyesight; spectacles.
Synonyms: spectacles, eyewear, specs (informal)
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms)
Definition: A looking glass; a mirror.
Synonyms: mirror, looking glass
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms)
Verb
Definition: To fit with panes of glass; to glaze.
Synonyms: glaze, pane
Antonyms: unglass (less common)
Definition: To enclose or cover with glass.
Synonyms: encase, encircle, entomb (if completely enclosed)
Antonyms: expose, uncover
Definition: (Often followed by "over") To become smooth and shiny like glass, especially referring to eyes that lose expression or become unfocused.
Synonyms: glaze, dull, stare (blankly)
Antonyms: sharpen, focus, brighten
Adjective
Definition: Made of glass.
Synonyms: crystalline, vitreous
Antonyms: opaque (if referring to transparency), non-glass (general)
Definition: Resembling glass in smoothness, transparency, or fragility.
Synonyms: smooth, clear, transparent, brittle, fragile
Antonyms: rough, opaque, tough, durable
Examples of Use
Books:
"Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There" by Lewis Carroll is a classic novel where the protagonist, Alice, steps through a mirror into an alternative world. (Carroll, L. Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. 1871.)
"He carefully poured the wine into the delicate glass, watching the ruby liquid catch the light." (This illustrates a common use of "glass" as a drinking vessel in general fiction, e.g., in a contemporary romance novel.)
Newspapers:
"The shattered glass from the storefront indicated the extent of the vandalism at the city center last night." (This is a typical headline usage of "glass" referring to window panes, The Daily Nation, June 28, 2025.)
"Economists continue to debate whether the national budget is half empty or half full, looking at the same glass from different perspectives." (An opinion piece using the common idiom, The Standard, June 25, 2025.)
Online Publications:
"How to Achieve a Streak-Free Shine on Your Windows: A Comprehensive Guide to Sparkling Glass." (An article title on a home improvement website, e.g., House & Garden Online, May 2025.)
"The new smartphone model boasts a virtually indestructible glass display, offering enhanced durability against everyday drops." (A product review on a tech news site, e.g., TechCrunch, April 2025.)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: In the movie Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, the title itself uses "glass" metaphorically to suggest a transparent yet complex puzzle. (Johnson, R. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. 2022.)
Television (Dialogue): "Could you please hand me that glass of juice from the counter?" (A common line heard in everyday dialogue in countless TV series, e.g., Sisimpur.)
Music (Song Lyric): "I’m walking on broken glass again, trying to mend what’s torn apart." (A metaphorical use in a song lyric, often found in genres like rock or pop, e.g., from a song by a contemporary Kenyan artist like Sauti Sol, though this specific lyric is illustrative.)
Video Games: In games like The Sims 4, players can choose various "glass" windows and doors for their virtual homes, impacting light and aesthetic. (The Sims 4, Electronic Arts, 2014.)
Social Media Post: A popular interior design influencer might post, "Obsessed with these new ribbed glass vases – they add such elegance to any room!" (An Instagram post, June 2025).
General Public Discourse:
"Remember to put all your glass bottles in the recycling bin, not the regular trash." (A common instruction at home or in public spaces regarding waste separation in Kenya.)
"I can't believe I left my glasses at home; I can barely read the menu!" (An everyday complaint about corrective eyewear, heard in a restaurant.)
"Let's raise a glass to celebrate their graduation!" (A common toast or celebratory phrase heard at parties or gatherings.)
"The lecture was so long, I felt my eyes start to glass over from boredom." (An informal observation about losing focus, heard in a university setting.)
10 Famous Quotes Using Glass
"Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There." (Lewis Carroll, novel title)
"People who live in glass houses should not throw stones." (English proverb, widely attributed)
"The eyes are the window to the soul." (Often associated with Shakespeare, though similar sentiments existed before him, implying a "glass" or transparent quality of the eyes)
"I am the Walrus / Goo goo a'joob / I am the egg man / They are the egg men / I am the Walrus / Goo goo a'joob / Sitting on a cornflake / Waiting for the van to come / Corporation T-shirt, stupid bloody Tuesday / Man, you've been a naughty boy, you let your face grow long / I am the egg man / They are the egg men / I am the Walrus / Goo goo a'joob / Mr. City policeman sitting / Pretty little policemen in a row / See how they fly like Lucy in the sky / See how they run / I'm crying / I'm crying / I'm crying / I'm crying / Yellow matter custard / Dripping from a dead dog's eye / Crabalocker fishwife / Pornographic priestess / Boy, you've been a naughty girl, you let your knickers down / I am the egg man / They are the egg men / I am the Walrus / Goo goo a'joob / Experten / Semolina pilchard / Climbing up the Eiffel Tower / Elementary penguin singing Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band / He's got a glass eye / Oh-oh-oh / Oh-oh-oh / Oh-oh-oh / I am the egg man / They are the egg men / I am the Walrus / Goo goo a'joob" (The Beatles, "I Am The Walrus" lyrics)
"A woman's mind is cleaner than a man's: She changes it more often." (Oliver Herford, a witty quote that metaphorically implies the mind's clarity or transparency like glass when changed frequently)
"When you look at the world through rose-colored glasses, all the red flags just look like flags." (Often attributed to various sources, a modern take on the idiom "rose-colored glasses")
"Life is like a mirror, we get the best results when we smile at it." (Often attributed to various self-help gurus, where the "mirror" is literally a glass surface)
"To see the world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower. Hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour." (William Blake, "Auguries of Innocence," the act of "seeing" through implies a clarity akin to glass)
"What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me; no, nor woman neither, though by your smiling you seem to say so." (William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2 – while "glass" isn't explicit, "paragon" and "beauty" can evoke a sense of flawless reflection or clarity, a characteristic of glass.)
"Here's looking at you, kid." (Humphrey Bogart, Casablanca – while not explicitly using "glass," it's a toast, implicitly involving a drinking glass.)
Etymology
The word "glass" has a very old and interesting history, tracing back thousands of years!
Imagine this: The very earliest roots of "glass" come from an ancient language called Proto-Indo-European (that's like the great-grandparent of many languages spoken today). The root word there was something like *ghel-, which meant "to shine" or "to shimmer." Think about how glass often shines, and you can see the connection.
As languages developed, this root *ghel- evolved into words in different language families. In the Germanic family of languages (which English belongs to), it became something like *glasam in Proto-Germanic. This word already referred to the substance we know as glass.
From Proto-Germanic, it moved into Old English as glæs. In this earliest form of English, it meant both the material "glass" and also "a glass vessel" (like a drinking cup). So, from its very first known use in English, the word carried both meanings – the material itself and objects made from it.
It's pretty neat that this ancient root ghel- also gave us words for colors that shine, like "gold" and "yellow," and even words related to "glaze" and "glow." So, the idea of brightness and transparency has been tied to the word "glass" for a very long time.
While humans have been making glass for at least 3,600 years (with early examples found in Mesopotamia and Egypt, often as beads or glazes), the English word "glass" specifically came into use in the Old English period, before the year 1150.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Glass
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "glass":
Glass ceiling: An unacknowledged barrier to advancement, especially for women and minorities.
Glass half empty/half full: Refers to an optimistic or pessimistic outlook on a situation.
People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones: Don't criticize others if you have similar faults.
To raise a glass (to someone/something): To drink in honor of someone or something.
To look at something through rose-colored glasses: To view something in an overly optimistic or idealized way.
To glass over: For eyes to become unfocused or expressionless, or for a surface to become smooth and shiny.
A glass jaw: A boxing term for a fighter easily knocked out, implying fragility.
To be in a glass case/box: To be clearly visible or exposed, often implying vulnerability or scrutiny.
Shattered glass: Something that is broken beyond repair, often used metaphorically for dreams or relationships.
Seeing through a glass darkly: To have an obscure or imperfect vision or understanding of something. (From 1 Corinthians 13:12)
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of glass from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
