glue en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ɡlɪʊ/ (Wales)
- /ɡlʉw/ (British, Southern, Standard)
- (US) audio
- /ɡlʉ/ (Northern-Ireland, Scotland)
- /ɡlu/ (General-American)
- /ɡlʉː/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
- /ɡluː/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
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).
Meanings
-
(countable, uncountable) A hard gelatin made by boiling bones and hides, used in solution as an adhesive; or any sticky adhesive substance.
Near-synonyms: adhesive, cement
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 14, “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:
-
(countable, figuratively, uncountable) Anything that binds two things or people together.
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:A lot of people who salted for us didn’t come from those same circumstances, so they don’t understand how Black and brown organizing is really going to intertwine with the type of ideology that they have. And I had to try to be the glue to figure all of it out.
2026 June 2, Alex Skopic, Chris Smalls, “Chris Smalls Is Still Fighting the Bosses”, in Current Affairs:
- (countable, uncountable) A viscid secretion on the surface of certain plants.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| glues | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
gluelike · glue factory · hot glue gun · meat glue · glue-on · beglue · Scotch glue · glue dot · superglue · glueball · crazy glue · glue boiler · glueboard · glue code · glue board · nonglue · glue strip · gluish · marine glue · glue ear · glue-pot · I'm rubber, you're glue · glueless · gluelump · glue record · hot glue · glue trap · rice glue · englue · glueman · gluemaker · glue stick · yellow glue · flesh glue · glue gun · school glue · glue cell · glue sniffer · hot melt glue · gluepot · send to the glue factory · glue-sniffing · fish glue · skin glue · glue friend · gluey · gluemaking · unglue · desert glue · bee glue · gluino · gluon · wood glue · glue plant · gluehead
Descendants
Synonyms
Translations (173)
ce клей (sticky adhesive substance) · sl lepilo (sticky adhesive substance) · sw gluu (sticky adhesive substance) · ht lakòl (sticky adhesive substance) · cmn 膠水 /胶水 (sticky adhesive substance) · mww kua nplaum (sticky adhesive substance) · uz sirach (sticky adhesive substance) · tl pandikit (sticky adhesive substance) · el κόλλα (sticky adhesive substance) · vo glud (sticky adhesive substance) · vi keo (sticky adhesive substance) · uk клей (sticky adhesive substance) · af gom (sticky adhesive substance) · yue 黏合劑 /黏合剂 (sticky adhesive substance) · he דֶבֶק (sticky adhesive substance) · ang līm (sticky adhesive substance) · tl kola (sticky adhesive substance) · io gluo (sticky adhesive substance) · it colla (sticky adhesive substance) · hy սոսինձ (sticky adhesive substance) · ps څلېښ (sticky adhesive substance) · qu k'aschina (sticky adhesive substance) · ne गम (sticky adhesive substance) · scn coḍḍa (sticky adhesive substance) · sk lepidlo (sticky adhesive substance) · izh kleja (sticky adhesive substance) · ia colla (sticky adhesive substance) · sh ту̀ткало (sticky adhesive substance) · es resistol (sticky adhesive substance) · fi tymä (sticky adhesive substance) · et liim (sticky adhesive substance) · ki nguruu (sticky adhesive substance) · tt җилем (sticky adhesive substance) · am ሙጫ (sticky adhesive substance) · ug سىراج (sticky adhesive substance) · pap leim (sticky adhesive substance) · es pegamento (sticky adhesive substance) · ckb سْرێش (sticky adhesive substance) · ur لیس (sticky adhesive substance) · ko 풀 (sticky adhesive substance) · pdt Liem (sticky adhesive substance) · es pegante (sticky adhesive substance) · ti ኮላ (sticky adhesive substance) · tk ýelim (sticky adhesive substance) · de Klebstoff (sticky adhesive substance) · nl lijm (sticky adhesive substance) · arz كوللة (sticky adhesive substance) · fo líma (sticky adhesive substance) · sv lim (sticky adhesive substance) · syc ܬܬܐ (sticky adhesive substance) · bar Pick (sticky adhesive substance) · mfe lakol (sticky adhesive substance) · fy lymje (sticky adhesive substance) · ko 접착제 (sticky adhesive substance) · ne ग्लू (sticky adhesive substance) · mt kolla (sticky adhesive substance) · sq ngjitje (sticky adhesive substance) · vi cồn (sticky adhesive substance) · as এঠা (sticky adhesive substance) · ce хьаьхьамч (sticky adhesive substance) · av сину (sticky adhesive substance) · ro lipici (sticky adhesive substance) · pl klej (sticky adhesive substance) · tl pangkola (sticky adhesive substance) · ky клей (sticky adhesive substance) · chr ᏗᎧᏅᏬᏗ (sticky adhesive substance) · uz yelim (sticky adhesive substance) · xal зусн (sticky adhesive substance) · ro clei (sticky adhesive substance) · hi सरेस (sticky adhesive substance) · tr yapıştırıcı (sticky adhesive substance) · grc γλία (sticky adhesive substance) · cmn 黏合劑 /黏合剂 (sticky adhesive substance) · nrf cliute (sticky adhesive substance) · ga gliú (sticky adhesive substance) · grc κόλλα (sticky adhesive substance) · fa-ira چَسْب (sticky adhesive substance) · ru клей (sticky adhesive substance) · ary لصاق (sticky adhesive substance) · yi קליי (sticky adhesive substance) · akl pilit (sticky adhesive substance) · sq zamkë (sticky adhesive substance) · tg елим (sticky adhesive substance) · ba елем (sticky adhesive substance) · sh ле̏па̄к (sticky adhesive substance) · tr tutkal (sticky adhesive substance) · ur گونْد (sticky adhesive substance) · cmn 膠 /胶 (sticky adhesive substance) · vi hồ (sticky adhesive substance) · km កាវ (sticky adhesive substance) · za gyauhsuij (sticky adhesive substance) · bg тутка́л (sticky adhesive substance) · ga glae (sticky adhesive substance) · bg лепи́ло (sticky adhesive substance) · tg ширеш (sticky adhesive substance) · fa-ira سِریشُم (sticky adhesive substance) · de Kleber (sticky adhesive substance) · sh лѐпило (sticky adhesive substance) · pt grude (sticky adhesive substance) · la glūten (sticky adhesive substance) · hi गोंद (sticky adhesive substance) · lt klijai (sticky adhesive substance) · syc ܕܒܩܐ (sticky adhesive substance) · eu itsasgarri (sticky adhesive substance) · yue 膠水 /胶水 (sticky adhesive substance) · ur سَریس (sticky adhesive substance) · mk лепило (sticky adhesive substance) · vo kleibin (sticky adhesive substance) · unm psàkwiokàn (sticky adhesive substance) · id lem (sticky adhesive substance) · acw صَمْغ (sticky adhesive substance) · sh tùtkalo (sticky adhesive substance) · cs lepidlo (sticky adhesive substance) · ab аҷаб (sticky adhesive substance) · as আঠা (sticky adhesive substance) · arz لزاق (sticky adhesive substance) · th กาว (sticky adhesive substance) · sh ljȅpāk (sticky adhesive substance) · ota طوتقال (sticky adhesive substance) · ms gam (sticky adhesive substance) · om haphee (sticky adhesive substance) · fi liima (sticky adhesive substance) · hu ragasztó (sticky adhesive substance) · be клей (sticky adhesive substance) · ps څلېښت (sticky adhesive substance) · mn жяошүй (sticky adhesive substance) · eo gluo (sticky adhesive substance) · ar لِصَاق (sticky adhesive substance) · bar Laam (sticky adhesive substance) · ky желим (sticky adhesive substance) · sv klister (sticky adhesive substance) · kk желім (sticky adhesive substance) · mk лепак (sticky adhesive substance) · tl pangola (sticky adhesive substance) · bn আঠা (sticky adhesive substance) · bn শিরিশ (sticky adhesive substance) · lt li̇̀palas (sticky adhesive substance) · sh ljèpilo (sticky adhesive substance) · za raemxgyauh (sticky adhesive substance) · ar غِرَاء (sticky adhesive substance) · sh љѐпило (sticky adhesive substance) · ug يېلىم (sticky adhesive substance) · ja 接着剤 (sticky adhesive substance) · mn цавуу (sticky adhesive substance) · unm psàkwënikàn (sticky adhesive substance) · hi लेस (sticky adhesive substance) · ajp صمغ (sticky adhesive substance) · bar Bapp (sticky adhesive substance) · pt cola (sticky adhesive substance) · da lim (sticky adhesive substance) · ja 膠 (sticky adhesive substance) · sh lȅpāk (sticky adhesive substance) · rif aserɣaɣ (sticky adhesive substance) · gl cola (sticky adhesive substance) · dtp gaam (sticky adhesive substance) · fr colle (sticky adhesive substance) · lo ກາວ (sticky adhesive substance) · lv līme (sticky adhesive substance) · sh ље̏па̄к (sticky adhesive substance) · cv ҫилӗм (sticky adhesive substance) · is lím (sticky adhesive substance) · ka წებო (sticky adhesive substance) · sw gundi (sticky adhesive substance) · sh lèpilo (sticky adhesive substance) · az yapışqan (sticky adhesive substance) · es goma (sticky adhesive substance) · es cola (sticky adhesive substance) · bar Loam (sticky adhesive substance) · ar لِزَاق (sticky adhesive substance) · my ကော် (sticky adhesive substance) · ce бокх (sticky adhesive substance) · nb lim (sticky adhesive substance) · de Leim (sticky adhesive substance)