- Acid (or satin) finish
 A matte finish on glassware which is achieved by exposing the piece to acid fumes during the finishing process. More rarely the finished is obtained by the use of a mechanical grinding wheel.
- Applied
 A handle(s) or other portion of a vessel which consists of a separate piece of molten glass attached by hand to the object. Most often used with free-blown or mold-blown pieces but also used with early pressed glass.
- Appliqued glass
 A type of decorative glass which features hand-applied three-dimensional trim, often in the form of fruit or flowering vines. This glass trim is applied in the semi-molten state while the main object is still extremely hot so that the appliqué becomes an integral part of the piece.
- Art Glass
 An umbrella term that refers to all types of decorative glasswares but most specifically to the expensive, specially patented lines produced during the late 19th century. Notable types of Art Glass include Amberina, Burmese, and Peach Blow, among many others.
- Batch
- A mixture of chemicals and sand that makes up a type and color of glass.
- Blank
- The shape of the mould in which glass is formed.
- Blocker
- The person who shapes the glass, fresh from the furnace, and blows the first bubble of air through a blow pipe, into the glass.
- Blower
- Person who manipulates the glass into shape and plunges it into a mould. He then forces it throughout the mould by blowing into it.
- Bohemia
- The western glass region of Czechoslovakia, formerly an independent kingdom, later a region of the Austro-Hungarian empire which became part of the newly formed country after World War 1 ended in 1918. Glass of every description has been produced there since the 14th century. The industry was nationalized by the Communist government in 1946. It is sad that after 600 years of glass making history, only two names are recognized by most American glass collectors. Those are Moser (pronounced Mózer) and Loetz(or Lötz).
| Bohemian Designers |
| Adolph Zasche (at Gablonz) |
| Josef Rindskopf (Kosten) |
| Králík glassworks (Lenora) |
| Harrach works (Nový Svêt) |
| Carl Goldberg (Haida) |
| Ferdinand von Poschinger (Buchenau) |
| Fritz Heckert (Petersdorf, Silesia) |
| Josef Pallme-König (Kosten) |
| Meyr's Neffe (Adolfov) |
- Cameo glass
 A glass composed of two or more layers of glass, most often of contrasting colors, which are then carved through the surface with decorative designs. This ancient Roman technique was revived by the English in the late 19th century and English examples usually feature a white outer surface cut through to expose a single color background. English cameo often featured classical and botanical designs whereas the slightly later French cameo often featured more abstract naturalistic and landscape designs in more than two colors. Cameo carving can be done either by hand or with the use of acid, the hand-carved examples bringing higher prices.
- Carrying-in Boy
- The person who takes finished article to the Lehr for final cooling.
- Cased glass
- Glassware which is composed of two or more layers of colored glass. The inner layer may be blown into outer layers while the glass is still hot or a piece in one color may be dipped into the molten glass of another color while it is hot. Cameo glass (see above) is a form of cased glass and Victorian satin glass is also often cased.
- Console set
- A three-piece tableware set generally composed of a pair of candlesticks and a wide, low-sided center bowl. These sets in pressed and mold-blown glassware were especially popular in the 1920s and 1930s.
- Cracker jar
- Also sometimes referred to as a 'biscuit jar,' these are decorative Victorian counterparts of the modern cookie jar. Produced in various chinawares as well as Art glass, they are often rounded barrel-shaped pieces fitted with a silver plate rim, cover and bail handle.
- Crackling
- Crackilng is produced by quickly cooling glass that has been fired to a carefully-controlled temperature.
- Crimping
- A method of decorating the rims of bowls and vases. The glassworker used a special hand tool to manipulate the nearly-molten pressed or blown glass and form a ribbon-like design.
- Crosshatching
- A term generally used in discussing Brilliant Period cut glass. It refers to a cut design of parallel or crossed fine lines.
- Crystal
- A generic term generally used today when referring to thin, fine quality glass stemware produced since the early 20th century. Derived from the Italian term cristallo referring to delicate, clear Venetian blown glass produced since the 14th century.
- Enameled decoration
- A form of decoration used on may types of Victorian Art glass. White or colored enamel paints were generally hand-painted on a finished piece of glass which was then refired to bake-on the enamel decoration.
- Epergne
- A French term used to describe a special decorative vessel popular in the 19th century. It generally consists of one or more tall, slender trumpet-form vases centering a wide, shallow bowl base. The bowl base could also be raised on a pedestal foot. It sometimes refers to a piece with a figural pedestal base supporting several small bowls or suspending several small baskets. Also made from silver or other metals.
- Etching
- A method of decorating a piece of glass. The two main types are acid etching and needle etching. In acid etching a piece is covered with an acid-resistant protective layer and then scratched with a design which is then exposed to hydrofluoric acid or acid fumes, thus leaving a frosted design when the protective layer is removed. Needle etching is a 20th century technique where a hand-held or mechanized needle is used to draw a fine-lined design on a piece. Ornate repetative designs were possible with the mechanized needle.
- Finisher
- The worker who puts the final edge, ruffle, or crimp into a piece of glass.
- Fire-polishing
- A process used to finish mold-blown and pressed glass where a piece is reheated just enough to smooth out the mold seams withour distorting the overall pattern
- Flashing
- A form of decoration popular on various types of Victorian glass wherein a glass piece of one color is, while still very hot, dipped into molten glass of another color to form a very thin outer layer. Quite often this thin outer layer was then engraved with a naturalistic design cut through to the base. A similar effect could be obtained by applying a colored stain (often in ruby red or amber) and this staining was especially popular on late 19th century pattern glass whereas flashing was reserved for generally more expensive lines of glassware.
- Gather
- The still unformed glob of glass, fresh from the furnaces.
- Gatherer
- The worker who scoops glass from the tank and takes it to the mould.
- Glory Hole
- A small oven which softens glass to permit a finished shape.
- Hand Swung
- Pieces of glass that are swung by the end of the mould, to stretch them longer than originally intended.
- Handkerchief vase
- A form of vase most often seen in 20th century Venetian glass where the sides of the piece are pulled straight up and randomly pleated to resemble a large handkerchief
- Handler
- The worker that makes handles for baskets, jugs, pitchers, etc...
- Iridescence
- A type of shiny, metallic finish popular on late 19th and early 20th century glassware from makers such as Tiffany, Loetz and Steuben. The effect is achieved by spraying the still-hot piece with metallic oxides which deposit the shiny surface.
- Jack-in-the-pulpit or JIP
- A form of vase with the rim manipulated to resemble the wildflower of this name. Generally the back edge is curled up while the front edge is curled downward. Many types of late 19th century decorative glass featured vases in this form.
- Knop
- Another term for 'knob,' usually referring to a finial on a lid or a bulbous section on the stem of a goblet or wine glass.
- Lehr
- The device in which finished glass is cooled.
- Millefiori
- An Italian term meaning "thousand flowers," in glass it refers to a design produced by combining small multicolored discs (or 'canes') of glass to form an overall design or to decorate the interior of a paperweight.
- Mold Blown
- A method of glass production where a blob of molten glass (called a "gather") is blown into a patterned mold and then removed and further blown and manipulated to form an object such as a bottle.
- Opaline Glass
- Glass that is solid in color when viewed normally, but translucent when held to heat or light.
- Opaque Glass
- Glass that does not allow light to pass through it, showing little fire or translucence when held to light.
- Overlay Glass
- Cased glass in which one layer is poured over another.
- Piedouche
- A French term referring to a paperweight which is raised on a low, applied clear foot.
- Pontil Mark
- The scar left on the base of a free-blown, mold-blown and some early pressed glass by the pontil or punty rod. The hot glass object was attached at the base to the pontil rod so the glassworker could more easily handle it during the final shaping and finishing. When snapped off the pontil a round scar remained which, on finer quality pieces, was polished smooth.
- Presser
- The worker who cuts off the glass when the mold is filled.
- Rigaree
- Applied ribbon-like crimped decoration which highlights some types of Victorian Art Glass. It is a form of appliqued decoration.
- Ringer
- The worker who spins a thin ring of molten glass to finished piece, such as applied jet rim.
- Rose Bowl
- A decorative small spherical or egg-shaped bowl, generally with a scalloped or crimped incurved rim, which was designed to hold rose petal potpourri or small rose blossoms. It was widely popular in the late 19th century and was produced in many pressed glass patterns as well as more expensive Art glass wares such as satin glass.
- Scalloping
- A decorative treatment used on the rims of plates, bowls, vases and similar objects. It was generally produced during the molding of the object and gave the rim a wavy or ruffled form.
- Sickness
- A term referring to the cloudy staining found in pressed or blown glass pieces, especially bottles, decanters and vases. It is caused when a liquid is allowed to stand in a piece for a long period of time causing a chemical deterioration of the interior surface. Generally it is nearly impossible to remove completely.
- Spall
- A shallow rounded flake on a glass object, generally near the rim of a piece.
- Teardrop
- A deliberately placed inclusion in a piece of glass which is formed by a bubble of air. They are sometimes used to highlight the stopper of a bottle or decanter or in the stems of goblets, wines or other stemware.
- Warming-in Boy
- The person who takes glass from the glory hole to the finisher
- Water Set
- A tableware set popular in all types of 19th and early 20th century glasswares. It usually consisted of a large pitcher and a set of six matching tumblers or goblets.
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