pane
noun
one of the divisions of a window or the like, consisting of a single plate of glass in a frame.
pane
1 American
[peyn]
/ peɪn /
noun
-
panes
plural
-
one of the divisions of a window or the like, consisting of a single plate of glass in a frame.
-
a plate of glass for such a division.
-
a panel, as of a wainscot, ceiling, door, etc.
-
a flat section, side, or surface, as one of the sides of a bolthead.
-
Philately. a sheet of stamps or any large portion of one, as a half or a quarter, as issued by the post office.
pané
2
American
[pa-ney, pa -ney]
/ pæˈneɪ, paˈneɪ /
adjective
pane
1
British
/ peɪn /
noun
-
a sheet of glass in a window or door
-
a panel of a window, door, wall, etc
-
a flat section or face, as of a cut diamond
-
philately
-
any of the rectangular marked divisions of a sheet of stamps made for convenience in selling
-
a single page in a stamp booklet See also tête-bêche se tenant
-
pane
2
British
/ peɪn /
noun
pané
3
British
/ pane /
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of pane1
1250–1300; Middle English pane, pan strip of cloth, section < Middle French pan < Latin pannus cloth; akin to Old English fana flag; see vane
Origin of pané2
From French
Explanation
A pane is a piece of glass, especially one that fits into a window frame. If you hit your baseball through your neighbors' kitchen window, you'll probably owe them a new pane. Panes are almost always made of glass, although occasionally they're some other translucent material. Stained-glass windows have colorful panes, and older houses with their original details often have windows made of many small glass panes. The original meaning of pane was "piece of a garment," from the Latin pannum, "piece of cloth." Later, a pane became "a panel of wood," and finally "a panel of glass."
Vocabulary lists containing pane
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But I also looked in at myself as a mother through the leaded-glass pane of our very lovely living-room windows, and I saw a washed-out woman worn down to the thinnest thread.
From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026
Users open up a gray pane that displays their file directory, lines of code and a chatbot window, where they can select their AI model of choice.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 19, 2026
Fans broke the glass pane behind the Kings' bench after Scott Wedgewood's save.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
Teri also created a faux window pane using adhesive vinyl.
From BBC ● Feb. 15, 2026
In the window seat, Edna pressed her face flat against the pane.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
Antique globes are mixed with model boats, window panes, wooden masks and painted watermelons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Otto’s Phantom 3500, which seats nine passengers, is lined with digital panes that display a virtual view of the outdoors, a feature that Chief Executive Paul Touw calls “supernatural vision.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2025
All of the thousands of single glazed panes of glass will be replaced and tests are under way to find the best type of glass to provide maximum insulation.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2025
Between the panes, evidence of condensation indicates the window seal had failed, allowing heat to escape.
From BBC ● May 27, 2025
These usually bought land, but good land, and built their houses of planed lumber and had carpets and colored-glass diamond panes in their windows.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
