A hard gelatin made by boiling bones and hides, used in solution as an adhesive; or any sticky adhesive substance.
"The carpenter applied a thick layer of glue to the wood joints before clamping them together tightly."
In plain English: Glue is a sticky substance used to stick things together permanently.
"She used glue to stick the broken photo together again."
Usage: Use the noun form to refer specifically to a liquid adhesive that dries into a solid bond rather than just describing anything sticky. When referring to this specific type of bonding agent, distinguish it from general stickiness by noting its origin in boiled animal parts for traditional contexts or as any modern synthetic equivalent otherwise.
To join or attach something using glue.
"She carefully glued the two pieces of paper together to make a collage."
In plain English: To glue something is to stick it down firmly using an adhesive substance.
"She glued the broken cup back together with super strength adhesive."
The word "glue" entered Middle English as glew from the Old French term for birdlime, which ultimately traces back to the Latin words for sticky substance. This borrowing gradually replaced an earlier native Old English word that is now known as "lime."