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Glite Dictionary
🔬 Optical glass 🏛️ Window glass
crown glass

crown glass

9.7
Old window glass you get by blowing hot glass into a round disk and spinning it flat
  • noun
  • /kraʊn ɡlæs/
  • Archaic
translation icon : vidrio crown
  • Unlike modern plate glass, crown glass has small variations in thickness and clarity.

Examples

  • Historic buildings often feature crown glass in their original window panes.

  • The unique swirling patterns of crown glass make it highly prized by conservators.

  • The crown glass is beautiful.

  • The old church still has crown glass windows.

  • Many historic cathedrals feature crown glass in their stunning stained-glass windows.

  • The museum displayed a collection of antique crown glass pieces that date back to the 18th century.

  • Architects often prefer crown glass for restoration projects to maintain the historical integrity of old buildings.

Synonyms

glass
vscrown glass
785 1.0

A hard clear material made from sand used for windows and bottles

is a historic handmade disk form used specifically for window panes

Surface Forms

crown glass singular
crown glasses plural

Morphology

crown + glass

The compound 'crown glass' clearly signals a type of glass (crown + glass), so a B1 learner who knows both words would likely infer it refers to a particular kind of glass. However, the specific production method (blown into a globe and spun into a disk) and historical window use are technical/historical details that are not predictable from the constituents alone. Because the basic category is transparent but the specialized sense is not fully derivable, this is best classified as semi-transparent.

Etymology

The noun crown glass comes from a way of making window panes: glassmakers blew a ball of hot glass and spun it into a flat disk with a raised center that looked like a crown, then cut panes from the clear outer part. So crown glass became the name for this old, slightly wavy window glass.