Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
foam glass

foam glass

6.7
A light hard material made from melted sand with many small air pockets used for insulation and building
  • noun
  • /foʊm ɡlæs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : vidrio espumoso
  • The architect chose foam glass for its lightweight properties and excellent insulation in the new building.

Examples

  • Their product, ReFormedGlas insulation, is a rigid cellular foam glass insulation and building material.

    Academic text (1996)

  • Also, the use of recycled materials needed to be tested (there is a rigid cellular foam glass product on the market, made by Pittsburgh-Corning, with virgin materials).

    Academic text (1996)

  • Because of its durability and insulation qualities, foam glass is often used in sustainable construction projects.

  • To improve energy efficiency, the builders installed foam glass panels in the walls of the house.

Synonyms

expanded glass
vsfoam glass
  • Specialized
6.8

A light, hard, insulating material used in buildings to keep heat in

is made by expanding crushed material and used mainly for insulation and building
cellular glass
vsfoam glass
  • Specialized
7.0

A light hard foam made from crushed glass that keeps heat in and resists water

is produced by expanding crushed material rather than just firing with carbon

How Insulating

aerogel
  • Specialized
1 9.9
polyurethane foam
  • Specialized
1 4.5
foam glass
  • Specialized
6.7
concrete
224 1.0
glass
785 1.0

Surface Forms

foam glass singular
foam glasses plural

Morphology

foam + glass

The compound straightforwardly combines 'foam' (a mass of gas-filled cells used for cushioning or insulation) with 'glass' to denote glass that has a foamed or cellular structure; a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it is a lightweight, insulating type of glass. This noun-noun composition follows regular compounding patterns and is cross-linguistically common, so the meaning is transparently derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Foam glass is named for how it looks and is made: crushed glass is turned into a bubbly, sponge-like foam, so the material has lots of tiny air holes. So, because it is glass made like a 'foam', it is light, keeps out water and heat, and is used as 'insulation' in buildings.