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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
Graham Averill, Outside Online, 9 Dec. 2024
The glade is near state-run Cannon Mountain, a historic ski resort scheduled to open for the season on Friday.
—Joe Kottke, NBC News, 26 Nov. 2024
At 11,700 feet, the hut sits at treeline with low-angle glades below and open slopes above.
—Margaret Jackson, The Denver Post, 13 Nov. 2024
All are quiet mountain trails and some of the best glades run through the tall trees.
—Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Nov. 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 21 Dec. 2024.
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glade
noun
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