Did you know?
In his poem “After the Winter,” Jamaican-born poet and novelist Claude McKay writes of a “summer isle / Where bamboos spire to shafted grove / And wide-mouthed orchids smile,” declaring that “… we will build a cottage there / Beside an open glade …” It’s a serene, joyous vision offered to the speaker’s beloved, and it may shine a bit of light on the etymological connection between glade and the adjective glad, besides. Glade, which has been part of the English language since the early 1500s, was originally used not just to indicate a clearing in the woods but often specifically to refer to one filled with sunlight (note that McKay specifies that his glade is “open,” as glades can be in full or partial shade). It’s this sunniness that has led some etymologists over the years to suggest a connection with glad, which in Middle English also meant “shining.” To further the intrigue, a now-obsolete sense of glade once referred to a clear or bright space in the sky, or to a flash of light or lightning.
Examples of glade in a Sentence
Elise Taylor, Vogue, 10 Jan. 2025
The Woods are a portion of the larger Harrison County Glades Conservation Area, which spans more than 5,300 acres of forests, glades, caves and streams.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Dec. 2024
Over those 464 acres, there are 63 trails, 35 glades and 10 lifts, per the website.
—Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 21 Nov. 2024
More advanced skiers can head for the fun, mellow glades off the black-diamond Dark Side of the Moon, from the top.
—Graham Averill, Outside Online, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for glade 
Dictionary Entries Near glade
Cite this Entry
“Glade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glade. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
glade
noun
Share