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water glass

 - 7 dictionary results

water glass

–noun
1. a drinking glass; tumbler.
2. a glass container for holding water, as for growing bulbs, plants, or the like.
3. a glass tube used to indicate water level, as in a boiler.
4. a device for observing objects beneath the surface of the water, consisting essentially of an open tube or box with a glass bottom.
5. sodium silicate.
Also, wa⋅ter⋅glass.


Origin:
1600–10

sodium silicate

–noun Chemistry.
any of several clear, white, or greenish water-soluble compounds of formulas varying in ratio from Na2O·3.75SiO2 to 2Na2O·SiO2: used chiefly in dyeing, printing, and fireproofing textiles and in the manufacture of paper products and cement.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To water glass
clep·sy·dra   (klěp'sĭ-drə)   
n.   pl. clep·sy·dras or clep·sy·drae (-drē')
An ancient device that measured time by marking the regulated flow of water through a small opening. Also called water glass.

[Latin, from Greek klepsudra : kleptein, kleps-, to steal + hudōr, water; see wed-1 in Indo-European roots.]
sodium silicate  
n.  Any of various water-soluble silicate glass compounds used as a preservative for eggs, in plaster and cement, and in various purification and refining processes. Also called soluble glass, water glass.
water glass  
n.  
  1. A drinking glass or goblet.

  2. An open tube or box having a glass bottom for making observations below the surface of the water.

  3. See sodium silicate.

  4. A water gauge made of glass.

  5. See clepsydra.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

water glass n.
See soluble glass.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia

water glass

crystal-like lumps that range from colourless to white or grayish white and resemble glass but can be dissolved in water to form a syrupy liquid. Some forms are slightly soluble, and some are almost insoluble; they are best dissolved by heating with water under pressure. A little water dissolves water glass more readily than much water does. The solutions are strongly alkaline. The chemical formulas Na2SiO3, Na6Si2O7, and Na2Si3O7 describe the composition of various forms of water glass.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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