ガラス
解説 Definition
ガラスとは、二酸化ケイ素などを主成分とする非晶質の固体素材で、透明または半透明の性質を持つ。窓、容器、光学機器など多岐にわたる用途に使用される日常的な素材である。
Glass is a hard, usually transparent or translucent material used for windows, containers, and optical objects. As a countable noun, a glass is also a drinking container or the amount of liquid it holds.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
glass は「ガラス」という素材名では不可算名詞だが、a glass of water では「コップ一杯」と可算になる。窓なら glass window、素材なら colored glass のように使う。glow や gleam と同じく「光る」イメージにつなげ、透明で光を通す硬い素材を思い浮かべると覚えやすい。
Picture sunlight passing through a glass window and making the surface gleam. That image connects glass with its traditional association with brightness and with familiar words such as glow and gleam. Remember the grammar as well: glass is normally uncountable when it names the material, as in colored glass, but countable when it means a drinking vessel, as in a glass of water. Common combinations such as glass window, broken glass, and wine glass help keep these two uses separate.
例文
She accidentally knocked a glass of water off the table.
彼女は誤ってテーブルからコップ一杯の水を落としてしまった。
The glass windows of the greenhouse let in plenty of sunlight.
温室のガラス窓は十分な日光を取り込んだ。
The artist created a stunning sculpture entirely out of colored glass.
その芸術家は色付きガラスだけを使って見事な彫刻を作り上げた。
glass の類義語・関連語
glass の語源・成り立ち Etymology
古英語 glæs に由来し、ゲルマン祖語 *glasą（輝くもの）から。印欧祖語 *ǵʰel-（輝く、光る）が語根で、glow（輝く）や gleam（きらめき）と同根。透明に光る素材という原義が現在のガラスの意味に。関連語：glaze、gleam。
Glass comes from Old English glæs, inherited from a Germanic word for the material. It is traditionally associated with an Indo-European root connected with shining or brightness, also represented in words such as glow and gleam. The semantic link is the bright, reflective appearance of glass. Glaze is a related Germanic formation referring to a smooth, glasslike coating.
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