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
The intent of Riverside County’s grasping sheriff was as transparent as a pane of glass.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 29, 2026
His company offers a central control pane for AI agents now, but that won't work when the number of agents explodes and they are running on billions of laptops and phones.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2025
There is a pane above me; I am in a glass box.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
He settled in a spacious room with a stationary bike, TV and a window that had double panes and couldn’t be opened.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
Indeed, Saar’s multi-level home studio in Laurel Canyon is bursting with dozens of old empty picture frames, discarded window panes, wooden chests, antique chairs and vintage clocks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026
Fans in suites in the rafters leaned over glass panes to get a better look.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026
The sealed panes prevent air from passing through, increasing pressure inside and making walls and roofs more likely to fall when storms strike.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2025
The days were shorter, and frost crawled up the window panes at night.
From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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.
