glaze: Meaning and Definition of

glaze

Pronunciation: (glāz), [key]
— v., n. glazed, glaz•ing,
—v.t.
  1. to furnish or fill with glass: to glaze a window.
  2. to give a vitreous surface or coating to (a ceramic or the like), as by the application of a substance or by fusion of the body.
  3. to cover with a smooth, glossy surface or coating.
  4. to coat (a food) with sugar, a sugar syrup, or some other glossy, edible substance.
  5. to cover (a painted surface or parts of it) with a thin layer of transparent color in order to modify the tone.
  6. to give a glassy surface to, as by polishing.
  7. to give a coating of ice to (frozen food) by dipping in water.
  8. to grind (cutlery blades) in preparation for finishing.
—v.i.
  1. to become glazed or glassy: Their eyes glazed over as the lecturer droned on.
  2. (of a grinding wheel) to lose abrasive quality through polishing of the surface from wear.
—n.
  1. a smooth, glossy surface or coating.
  2. the substance for producing such a coating.
    1. a vitreous layer or coating on a piece of pottery.
    2. the substance of which such a layer or coating is made.
  3. a thin layer of transparent color spread over a painted surface.
  4. a smooth, lustrous surface on certain fabrics, produced by treating the material with a chemical and calendering.
    1. a substance used to coat a food, esp. sugar or sugar syrup.
    2. stock cooked down to a thin paste for applying to the surface of meats.
  5. Also calleda thin coating of ice on terrestrial objects, caused by rain that freezes on impact. Cf. rime (def. 1).
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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