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

See Examples For:

glair

And the enameled glair of parted hair Lies over the oval brow, From under which eyes of fiery blackness Look through you.

From Toward the Gulf by Masters, Edgar Lee

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

From Practical Bookbinding by Adam, Paul

But safety lies within; and behold the atom of animated glair embarking on its struggle with the flint.

From The Life of the fly; with which are interspersed some chapters of autobiography by Teixeira de Mattos, Alexander

Then plenty of glair is applied and the gold quickly and truly laid on.

From Practical Bookbinding by Adam, Paul

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