Glassify

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To change a material so that it assumes the properties of glass, creating a structure that is similar in appearance or functionality to glass-like substances
2. To convert a solid into a state that exhibits transparency or translucence, resembling the qualities of glass
3. To transform a substance or object so it has glass-like characteristics such as clarity or hardness

Etymology: "Glassify" is a plain formation: the noun "glass" with the verb-forming suffix "-ify", which comes through French from Latin "-ficare" and means "to make" or "to turn into". So the word literally means to make something into glass, or to give it the qualities of glass. Its sense has broadened in use. Where "glass" names a hard, brittle, transparent material, "glassify" describes the process, or the result, of a solid becoming clear or glossy, as when a surface is polished or hardened until it looks like glass. The meaning is also tied to the ordinary way "-ify" words work. Verbs like "simplify" or "beautify" follow the same pattern: a quality or material is turned into the thing named by the base. Here the base is the substance itself, so the word describes a physical change in appearance rather than an abstract one.