glair

American  

[glair] / glɛər /

Or glaire

noun

1. the white of an egg.

2. a glaze or size made of egg white.

3. any viscous substance like egg white.

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verb (used with object)

1. to coat with glair.

glair British  

/ ɡlɛə /

noun

1. white of egg, esp when used as a size, glaze, or adhesive, usually in bookbinding

2. any substance resembling this

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verb

1. (tr) to apply glair to (something)

Other Word Forms

• glairiness noun
• glairy adjective

Etymology

Origin of glair

1300–50; Middle English glaire < Old French: white of an egg < Vulgar Latin *clāria; compare Latin clārus clear

Example Sentences

Should it be necessary on the score of economy to make a double working in bronze, the cover must be previously washed with glair.

From Practical Bookbinding by Adam, Paul

Crawling up the sides, the Snails imprisoned in my apparatus sometimes reach the top, which is closed with a glass pane, and fix themselves to it by means of a speck of glair.

From The Glow-Worm and Other Beetles by Teixeira de Mattos, Alexander

Then the fox started across the steel-gray glair, picking his steps that he might have a firm foothold.

From Kings in Exile by Roberts, Charles George Douglas, Sir

To drain off the superfluous glair the press is placed so that the glair runs off on the long side; the gold is in consequence better taken up in the round.

From Practical Bookbinding by Adam, Paul

Some time before using, it should be scraped into a suitable vessel and mixed with glair.

From Practical Bookbinding by Adam, Paul