Glue Meaning
/ɡluː/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA hard gelatin made by boiling bones and hides, used in solution as an adhesive; or any sticky adhesive substance.
nounAnything that binds two things or people together.
Sentence Examples
Some furniture is put together with glue.
This fluid can be substituted for glue.
This sticky liquid can be substituted for glue.
CEFR Practice Quiz
She applied some ____ to the broken vase to stick the pieces back together.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She used a strong ____ to repair the broken leg of the wooden chair so it would be sturdy enough to use again.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gleyH- Proto-Indo-European *glóh₁ytn̥ Proto-Italic *gloiten Latin glūten Late Latin glūs Old French glubor. Middle English glew English glue From Middle English glew, glue, from Old French glu (“glue, birdlime”), from Late Latin glūs (stem glūt-), from Latin glūten. Related to clay. Partially displaced native Old English līm (“glue”) and ġelīman (“to glue”) (whence modern lime).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The wasp has always made the paper from which it constructs its nest, by uniting vegetable fibres with glue, while man was vexing himself with attempts to write on the bark of trees or a waxen or metallic table."
— 1832 July 26, “Review: Habits of Insects”, in North American Review, volume 35, number 76, →JSTOR, page 217:
"During the next few days, while the meat dried, they were both busy. They finished the bowl boat and coated it with the glue Jondalar made by boiling down the hooves, bone, and hide scraps."
— 1990, Jean Marie Auel, chapter 9, in The Plains of Passage (Earth's Children), New York: Random House, published 2010, →ISBN, page 145:
"What is a kiss ? Why this, as some approve, / The sure sweet cement, glue, and lime of love."
— 1648, Robert Herrick, “A Kiss”, in Hesperides, London: H. G. Bohn, published 1852, page 159:
"In other words, the railways are the glue which holds the country together for those without cars, and for those of us who want to get between major cities sustainably and rapidly. The railways are not a 'nice to have extra', but a key component of our infrastructure."
— 2022 December 28, Christian Wolmar, “Annus horribilus must mark a turning point for our railway”, in RAIL, number 973, page 45:
"[…] The flesh [of the mistletoe berry] is sticky, and forms strings and ribbons between my thumb and forefinger. For the mistletoe, this viscous goop – and by the way, viscous comes to English from viscum – is crucial. The stickiness means that, after eating the berries, birds often regurgitate the seeds and then wipe their bills on twigs – leading to the seeds' getting glued to the tree, where they can germinate and begin the cycle anew."
— 2014 December 23, Olivia Judson, “The hemiparasite season [print version: Under the hemiparasite, International New York Times, 24–25 December 2014, page 7]”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 23 Dec 2014:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
She applied some ____ to the broken vase to stick the pieces back together.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She used a strong ____ to repair the broken leg of the wooden chair so it would be sturdy enough to use again.