glass English · revision 2779

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 750|origins=gem-pro *glasą}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /ɡlɑːs/, US /ɡlæs/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|glas]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) [[inh|ang|glæs|t=glass; a glass vessel]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[gem-pro|*glasą|alt=*glasam|t=glass]],^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) from [[ine-pro|*ǵʰel-|alt=*ghel-|t=to shine]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) the root of many words for bright colors and materials.^(Etymonline) It is cognate with Old Saxon and Dutch glas and German Glas,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) and by a variant form with Old Norse gler.^(Hoad 1986)^(SOED 2002) Related words are Old English glǣr and Latin glaesum “amber”,^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) and Merriam-Webster also compares Old English geolu “yellow”.^(MWU 2024) The substance itself goes back to ancient Mesopotamia or Phoenicia.^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The substance, and a glass vessel: Old English, about 750 in Barnhart^(Barnhart 1988) and about 888 in the OED.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The restricted sense “drinking glass” is from the early 13th century, and now excludes other glass vessels;^(Etymonline) the liquor it holds, and drink, are from 1392–93.^(OED 1989) A mirror is from the 14th century,^(Etymonline) an hourglass from the 1550s and an optical instrument from the 1610s.^(Etymonline) ''Glasses'', “spectacles”, date from the mid-18th century; earlier people used a single glass or eyeglass.^(Cresswell 2021) A ''glasshouse'' was a glass factory from the late 14th century and a greenhouse from 1838.^(Etymonline) The proverb about people who live in glass houses dates from the 17th century, as in John Ray's ''Handbook of Proverbs'' (1670).^(Cresswell 2021)^(Etymonline) The verb, “to fit with glass”, is from the late 14th century.^(Etymonline) The ''glass ceiling'', an unofficial barrier to advancement at work, especially for women, was first spoken of in the early 1980s.^(Cresswell 2021) [[glaze|alt=Glaze]] comes from glass.^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 750 – Old English glæs.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * early 13th century – a drinking glass.^(Etymonline)

+ * 14th century – a mirror.^(Etymonline)

+ * late 14th century – verb, to fit with glass.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1550s – an hourglass.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1610s – an optical instrument.^(Etymonline)

+ * mid-18th century – ''glasses'', spectacles.^(Cresswell 2021)

+ * early 1980s – ''glass ceiling''.^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A hard, brittle, usually [[transparent]] material made by melting sand with soda and lime.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # A drinking vessel made of glass, or the amount it holds.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # Objects made of glass collectively; glassware.^(AHD)^(OED 1989)

+ # A [[mirror]]; a [[lens]], [[telescope]] or [[barometer]].^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # ''glasses'': A pair of lenses in a frame to correct eyesight; [[spectacles]].^(AHD)^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To fit or enclose with glass.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # To scan with binoculars or a telescope.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[glassful]]

+ * [[glassless]]

+ * [[glasslike]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[glaze]]

+ * [[glazier]]

+ * [[glazing]]

+ * [[glare]]

+ * [[gleam]]

+ * [[glint]]

+ * [[glisten]]

+ * [[yellow]]

+ * [[glassy]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}