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.

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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

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

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2025

Exiting Raffles onto the busy road, I noticed across the street the spire of a snow-white Gothic chapel with stained glass windows.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

And there’s a tour of the 125-year-old Judson Studios, which supplied much of Southern California Craftsman homes’ stained glass.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 8, 2025

Marco escorts the man in the grey suit through the library, sliding the stained glass open to access the empty game room and continue their conversation.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern