stained glass

American  

noun

1. glass that has been colored, enameled, painted, or stained, especially by having pigments baked onto its surface or by having various metallic oxides fused into it, as used in church windows, decorative lampshades, etc.

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stained glass British  

noun

1. 1. glass that has been coloured in any of various ways, as by fusing with a film of metallic oxide or burning pigment into the surface, used esp for church windows

   2. ( as modifier )

      a stained-glass window

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• stained-glass
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of stained glass

First recorded in 1785–95

Example Sentences

Artist Ben Tuna has turned the shells of burned-out vintage Porsches into artistic symbols of revival through his work with stained glass salvaged from churches.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 27, 2026

“One must go to stained glass for such color resonance.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

Exiting Raffles onto the busy road, I noticed across the street the spire of a snow-white Gothic chapel with stained glass windows.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

But step into the backyard, past the colorful paintings, textiles, tiles, stained glass and ceramics and the new rear exterior — painted a bright yellow — and it’s like a completely different property.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 8, 2025

All the cracks had disappeared as if they’d never existed, while the hole from the crossbow’s arrow had been filled in with what looked like a small piece of blue stained glass.

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley