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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
Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 18 Sep. 2025
The renowned adventure travel outfitter Eleven runs two exclusive lodges in the former mining town of Crested Butte (Scarp Ridge Lodge and Sopris House) and offers such adventures as fat-tire biking on groomed trails and snowshoeing through aspen glades.
—Nicholas Derenzo, AFAR Media, 16 Sep. 2025
Few things are as rejuvenating as a walk through a quiet glade of trees.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 12 Sep. 2025
Among other items that Princess Kate has picked out for her mini display is a watercolor of a forest glade by the famous British children’s author Beatrix Potter.
—Simon Perry, People.com, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for glade
Cite this Entry
“Glade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glade. Accessed 24 Sep. 2025.
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glade
noun
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