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.

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

• stained-glass
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of stained glass

First recorded in 1785–95

Example Sentences

Looming over the colorless town is its hulking circa-1385 monastery, extended in convent courtyards and stately chapels with lofty naves, offering dazzling displays of stained glass.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

It was these vehicles that captured the imagination of Ben Tuna, a self-described car guy and stained glass artist, who saw a way to create something beautiful from the rubble.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2026

"It feels like somewhere we're not supposed to be," Libby adds, looking around at the statues and stained glass.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2025

A golden shaft of light may stream through the stained glass windows; seconds later, an unseen cloud passes by, casting a chill across the bricks.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 25, 2025

The Baptist church looked a lot like the Methodist one we went to, pews, altar, a couple of stained glass windows.

From "The Lions of Little Rock" by Kristin Levine