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water glass

or wa·ter·glass

noun
  1. a drinking glass; tumbler.
  2. a glass container for holding water, as for growing bulbs, plants, or the like.
  3. a glass tube used to indicate water level, as in a boiler.
  4. a device for observing objects beneath the surface of the water, consisting essentially of an open tube or box with a glass bottom.
  5. sodium silicate.
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Origin of water glass

First recorded in 1600–10
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for water glass

Historical Examples

  • Then you've got your water-glass—a tall box with a glass bottom.

    John Gayther's Garden and the Stories Told Therein

    Frank R. Stockton

  • He had been watching me through the water-glass, and saw what had scared me.

    A Jolly Fellowship

    Frank R. Stockton

  • He struck his water-glass with a knife, and their waitress, who was near by, looked around.

    A Woman's Will

    Anne Warner

  • But I must explain about the water-glass, an article with which all fishermen of the Bermudas are familiar.

  • Through the water-glass we made out the framework of the big trap on the bottom.

British Dictionary definitions for water glass

water glass

noun
  1. a viscous syrupy solution of sodium silicate in water: used as a protective coating for cement and a preservative, esp for eggs
  2. another name for water clock, water gauge
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
water glass in Medicine

water glass

n.
  1. soluble glass
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.