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Glite Dictionary
🥛 A drinking glass 📏 A water gauge ⏳ A water clock 🧪 A chemical solution
water glass

water glass

8.7
A clear thick liquid used as cement and for preserving eggs
  • noun
  • /ˈwɔːtər ɡlæs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : silicato sódico
  • The artist used water glass to create a protective coating on her sculpture.

Examples

  • The scientist used water glass to create a protective barrier on the metal surface.

  • The water glass is often used as a cement in the production of acid-resistant materials.

  • The eggs were coated with water glass to preserve them for several months.

  • Can you buy some water glass for the project?

  • In pottery, artists often use a water glass to create a smooth finish on their work.

  • The technician applied water glass to seal the cracks in the old masonry and protect it from moisture.

  • To preserve the freshness of the eggs, the chef decided to coat them with a layer of water glass.

Synonyms

soluble glass
vswater glass
  • Specialized
7.5

A thick sticky liquid that coats or glues surfaces and helps preserve eggs

is the same substance but commonly called by another name
sodium silicate
vswater glass
  • Specialized
7.1

A glass-like liquid that seals and protects things like concrete and preserves eggs

is the dissolved solution form rather than the undissolved compound

Surface Forms

water glass singular
water glasses plural

Morphology

water + glass

The constituents 'water' (liquid) and 'glass' (drinking vessel) transparently yield the sense 'a glass for water', but they do not indicate the specialized function of measuring time (a clepsydra). A B1 learner who knows the words would not predict the timekeeping meaning from the parts alone, so the expression is idiomatic in that sense.

Etymology

Water glass for the chemical comes from the idea of 'liquid glass'; it is a glass-like substance dissolved in water, so people called it water glass because it looks clear and can harden like glass.