marble

[ mahr-buhl ]
See synonyms for marble on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. metamorphosed limestone, consisting chiefly of recrystallized calcite or dolomite, capable of taking a high polish, occurring in a wide range of colors and variegations and used in sculpture and architecture.

  2. any variety of this stone: Carrara marble.

  1. an object made of or carved from this stone, especially a sculpture: Renaissance marbles.

  2. a piece of this stone:the fallen marbles of Roman ruins.

  3. (not in technical use) any of various breccias or other stones that take a high polish and show a variegated pattern.

  4. a marbled appearance or pattern; marbling: The woodwork had a greenish marble.

  5. anything resembling marble in hardness, coldness, smoothness, etc.: a brow of marble.

  6. something lacking in warmth or feeling.

  7. a little ball made of stone, baked clay, glass, porcelain, agate, or steel, especially for use in games.

  8. marbles, (used with a singular verb) a game for children in which a marble is propelled by the thumb to hit another marble so as to drive it out of a circle drawn or scratched on the ground.

  9. marbles, Slang. normal rational faculties; sanity; wits; common sense: to have all one's marbles; to lose one's marbles.

adjective
  1. consisting or made of marble.

  2. like marble, as in hardness, coldness, smoothness, etc.

  1. lacking in warmth, compassion, or sympathy: marble heart.

  2. of variegated or mottled color.

verb (used with object),mar·bled, mar·bling.
  1. to color or stain like variegated marble.

  2. to apply a decorative pattern to (paper, the edges of a book, etc.) by transferring oil pigments floating on water.

Origin of marble

1
1150–1200; Middle English marbel, dissimilated variant of Old English marmel (in marmelstān marble stone) <Latin marmor<Greek mármaros, akin to marmaírein to sparkle

Other words from marble

  • marbler, noun
  • un·mar·bled, adjective

Other definitions for Marble (2 of 2)

Marble
[ mahr-buhl ]

noun
  1. Alice, 1913–90, U.S. tennis player.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use marble in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for marble

marble

/ (ˈmɑːbəl) /


noun
    • a hard crystalline metamorphic rock resulting from the recrystallization of a limestone: takes a high polish and is used for building and sculpture

    • (as modifier): a marble bust Related adjective: marmoreal

  1. a block or work of art of marble

  1. a small round glass or stone ball used in playing marbles

  2. make one's marble good Australian and NZ informal to succeed or do the right thing

  3. pass in one's marble Australian informal to die

verb
  1. (tr) to mottle with variegated streaks in imitation of marble

adjective
  1. cold, hard, or unresponsive

  2. white like some kinds of marble

Origin of marble

1
C12: via Old French from Latin marmor, from Greek marmaros, related to Greek marmairein to gleam

Derived forms of marble

  • marbled, adjective
  • marbler, noun
  • marbly, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for marble

marble

[ märbəl ]


  1. A metamorphic rock consisting primarily of calcite and dolomite. Marble is formed by the metamorphism of limestone. Although it is usually white to gray in color, it often has irregularly colored marks due to the presence of impurities such as silica and clay. Marble is used especially in sculpture and as a building material.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with marble

marble

see have all one's buttons (marbles).

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.