Leadlight

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈlɛdlaɪt/

Definitions

1. a window constructed from glass fragments bound with lead strips, creating artistic or decorative effects
2. small glass pieces joined by lead came to form ornamental windows or panels
3. A window crafted by assembling various glass segments connected by thin lead strips to form decorative patterns

Etymology: "Leadlight" is a plain compound: "lead," the soft grey metal used to hold together small pieces of coloured or clear glass, plus "light," meaning a pane of glass in a window. The name thus describes the construction itself, a window assembled from glass panels joined by strips of lead rather than a single sheet. The "lead" in the name refers to the metal, not to any sense of leading or guiding, which is a common source of confusion with the verb. Because the word is built transparently from two ordinary English elements, its history is largely a matter of how the technique and its name came together. The metal's use in glazing goes back centuries, and the compound simply names the result, so the word offers little beyond its literal description.