Glazing

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɡleɪzɪŋ/

Definitions

1. The process of fitting glass in windows or doors as a transparent layer ; the glass component installed in window frames to allow light while providing protection
2. Covering a surface with a smooth, glossy coating of glass or similar material ; a sheet of glass fixed into a frame to form part of a window or door
3. Applying a transparent or translucent layer, often glass, to protect or decorate surfaces ; a single pane of glass set within a structure to admit light or shield from the elements

Etymology: "Glazing" is about as plain as English etymology gets: the verb "glaze" with the suffix "-ing" added, the same ending that turns verbs into nouns for an action or its result. The verb "glaze" traces back to "glas," the Old English word for glass, so the material and the act of covering with it are bound together from the start. The noun form arrived in Middle English as "glasynge," and the spelling shifted over the centuries as the verb itself changed from "glass" into the "glaze" we use now. Because the word names both the process and the finished result, it covers two things at once: the work of fitting or applying a transparent layer, and the transparent layer itself. A window of panes set in a frame and the coating brushed onto a ceramic bowl both count as glazing, which is why the word stretches so easily across building and craft.

Synonyms: coating, covering, sheathing

Antonyms: strip, expose