glass-dust

A worker carefully pours glass-dust onto a polishing wheel.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Finely powdered glass: "glass-dust" refers to glass that has been ground or crushed into a fine powder, typically used as an abrasive for polishing, grinding, or etching surfaces.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The artisan used glass-dust to polish the edges of the gemstone. (Finely powdered glass applied as an abrasive.)
  • In traditional sandblasting, glass-dust is sometimes mixed with water to create a slurry for smoothing metal. (A mixture of powdered glass used for grinding.)

Advanced Usage

• "to apply glass-dust": to use finely ground glass for abrasive purposes.

  • The craftsman applied glass-dust to the wheel to sharpen the blade. (He used the powder as a grinding agent.)

• "glass-dust etching": a technique where glass-dust is used to create decorative patterns on glass surfaces.

  • The artist specialized in glass-dust etching, creating intricate designs on vases. (A method of engraving using powdered glass.)

Variants and Related Words

• Glass (n): a hard, brittle, transparent material made from sand.

  • The window is made of glass. (The material itself, not powdered.)

• Dust (n): fine, dry particles of matter.

  • The table was covered in dust. (General fine particles, not specifically glass.)

Synonyms

• Glass powder: a synonym for glass-dust, often used in industrial contexts.

  • The laboratory used glass powder for filtration. (Finely ground glass.)

• Abrasive powder: a broader term for any fine material used for grinding or polishing.

  • Diamond abrasive powder is harder than glass-dust. (A more general category.)

Phrasal Verbs

• None directly applicable: "glass-dust" is a noun compound and does not form phrasal verbs.

Related Idioms

• None directly applicable: "glass-dust" is a technical term and does not appear in common idiomatic expressions.