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

• stained-glass
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of stained glass

First recorded in 1785–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stained glass

They shimmer from the pages like bright bits of stained glass, and their names are equally enchanting: common blue, painted lady, Queen of Spain fritillary, black-veined white and northern brown argus, among others.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

She summed up her comparison this way: “If you remove the frame of the cathedral, those stained glass windows shatter. They’re useless.”

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

His paintings, which look like a mashup of collage and stained glass, are immediate in their impact: Planes of saturated hues snap together in portraits, pictures of parties, and everyday scenes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

He did etchings, lithographs, even stained glass windows - equally at home working with the grandeur of opera design and the intimacy of pen and ink.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

Despite the rain, the stained glass gathers enough light to fill the cathedral with color.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins