Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “glasses” come from?

Glass comes from Old English glæs, from Proto-Germanic glasą, from Proto-Indo-European gʰel-, likely referring to something bright or shining.

glasses (English): plural of glass; API pl; Spectacles, frames...

Definitions

  1. plural of glass; API pl; Spectacles, frames...

Ancestry of “glasses”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishglassAn amorphous solid, often transparent substance...
2Scottish Gaelicglasgreen; grey; lock
3Middle Irishglas—
4Old Irishglasgreen, greenish; blue, green-blue, grey-blue; the...
5Proto-Celticglastosgreen, blue
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰl̥h₃stós—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰelh₃-to flourish; green, yellow

Words derived from “glasses”

  • sunglasses
  • eyeglasses
  • sunnies
  • 선글라스
  • aiglas
  • sanglas
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃- →