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milk glass

milk glass

1 5.4
A milky white, slightly see-through material used for bowls and vases
  • noun
  • /mɪlk ɡlæs/
translation icon : vidrio opalino
  • She was divorced, her children were in grade school, and she had started to collect antique milk glass.
  • milk glass bowl

Examples

  • I went to the thrift store and found this fabulous milk glass bowl with a stem for $2.00.

    Blog text (29)
  • An empty milk glass on a night table.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • She pointed again toward her spread of milk glass.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Jeannie wrapped her milk glass in old newspaper and packed her trunk.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • In the first antique shop, Constance compared a milk glass bowl to a depression glass vase and priced a set of iron sconces.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • It wasn't until he had refilled his milk glass that she spoke again, "I bet mine was worse than yours," she said quietly as she reached for another cookie.

    Blog text (26)
  • She found a beautiful milk glass vase at the antique store.

  • For the dinner party, I served dessert in milk glass bowls.

  • The display featured an assortment of milk glass candlesticks, adding charm to the room.

Synonyms

opal glass
vsmilk glass
6.4

A milky white glass that lets light through and is used for lamps and vases

is used similarly but mainly for tableware rather than lighting

How Opaque

opaque
1 4.7
milk glass
1 5.4
frosted
1 4.0

Surface Forms

milk glass singular
milk glasses plural

Morphology

milk + glass

The meaning 'a type of glass that is milky white' is directly derivable from combining 'milk' (here attributively indicating a milky appearance) with 'glass' (the material/object). This simple noun-modifier + noun composition is common and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand the MWE.

Etymology

The noun milk glass is named for how the glass looks—like milk, soft, 'white' and not clear. So milk glass means a pale, 'milky' or 'opaque' type of glass often used for dishes and decoration.