pane

noun

ˈpān How to pronounce pane (audio)
: a piece, section, or side of something: such as
a
: a framed sheet of glass in a window or door
frost on a window pane
b
: one of the sections into which a sheet of postage stamps is cut for distribution
paned
ˈpānd How to pronounce pane (audio)
adjective
paneless
ˈpān-ləs How to pronounce pane (audio)
adjective

Examples of pane in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
An early work of this nature, Black Girl’s Window, 1969, shows a silhouetted figure peering from a window, its panes above her occupied by various symbols meaningful to the artist. — News Desk, Artforum, 28 July 2026 Floor-to-ceiling panes pull the garden into nearly every room, making the landscape the house’s most persistent piece of decoration. — Spencer Elliott, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 Double-pane windows do a much better job of insulating your home. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 4 July 2026 The structural glazing is cleverly integrated into the hull and superstructure, with each pane of glass uniquely shaped and tinted to blend seamlessly with the steel and aluminum. — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for pane

Word History

Etymology

Middle English pane, pan, payne, peyne "panel of an ornamental hanging or a curtain, side of a building, section of a wall, windowpane," borrowed from Anglo-French pan, pane "piece of cloth, tail of a shirt, skirt of a coat, parcel, stretch, territory" (also continental Old & Middle French), going back to Latin pannus "piece of cloth, rag" — more at vane

Note: Homonymous with Middle English pane in these senses is pane "cloak, mantle, fur lining or trim of a garment, rich fur or fabric," borrowed from Anglo-French and Old French penne, panne in these senses. Middle English Dictionary groups these with all the other senses of panne, but the Oxford English Dictionary and Anglo-Norman Dictionary treat them separately, as descended from Latin pinna "feather" (see pen entry 3), reflecting a calque of Old High German fedara, meaning both "feather" and "article made of fur" (or a cognate Germanic form).

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pane was in the 14th century

Rhymes for pane

See All Rhymes for pane

Browse Nearby Words

pandy
pane
paned
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pane. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

pane

noun
ˈpān How to pronounce pane (audio)
1
: a piece, section, or side of something (as a sheet of glass in a window)
2
: one of the sections (as of 50 or 100 stamps) into which a sheet of postage stamps is divided

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