marble

(märbəl)

noun

  1. a hard, crystalline or granular, metamorphic limestone, white or variously colored and sometimes streaked or mottled, which can take a high polish: it is much used in building and sculpture
    1. a piece or slab of this stone, used as a monument, inscribed record, etc.
    2. a piece of sculpture in marble
  2. anything resembling or suggesting marble in hardness, smoothness, coldness, coloration, etc.
    1. a little ball of stone, glass, or clay, used in games
    2. a children's game in which a marble is propelled by the thumb at other marbles, usually in an attempt to drive them out of a marked circle
  3. a marbled pattern; marbling
  4. Slang mental soundness; sanity; wits: to lose one's marbles

Origin: ME marble, marbre < OFr marbre < L marmor < Gr marmaros, white stone, orig. boulder (meaning infl. by marmairein, to shine) < IE base *mer-, to rub > mare

adjective

  1. made or consisting of marble
  2. like marble in some way; hard, cold, smooth, white, etc., or streaked, mottled, etc.

transitive verb marbled, marbling

to stain or color (book edges) to look mottled or streaked like marble

Related Forms:

See marble in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun
  1. a. A metamorphic rock formed by alteration of limestone or dolomite, often irregularly colored by impurities, and used especially in architecture and sculpture.
    b. A piece of this rock.
    c. A sculpture made from this rock.
  2. Something resembling or suggesting metamorphic rock, as in being very hard, smooth, or cold: a heart of marble; a brow of marble.
  3. Games
    a. A small hard ball, usually of glass, used in children's games.
    b. marbles (used with a sing. verb) Any of various games played with marbles.
  4. marbles (used with a sing. verb) Slang Common sense; sanity: completely lost his marbles after the stock market crash.
  5. Marbling.
transitive verb mar·bled, mar·bling, mar·bles
To mottle and streak (paper, for example) with colors and veins in imitation of marble.
adjective
  1. Composed of metamorphic rock: a marble hearth.
  2. Resembling metamorphic rock in consistency, texture, venation, color, or coldness.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English

Origin: , from Old French marbre

Origin: , from Latin marmor

Origin: , from Greek marmaros

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Related Forms:

  • marˈbly adjective

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