marble
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.
any variety of this stone: Carrara marble.
an object made of or carved from this stone, especially a sculpture: Renaissance marbles.
a piece of this stone:the fallen marbles of Roman ruins.
(not in technical use) any of various breccias or other stones that take a high polish and show a variegated pattern.
a marbled appearance or pattern; marbling: The woodwork had a greenish marble.
anything resembling marble in hardness, coldness, smoothness, etc.: a brow of marble.
something lacking in warmth or feeling.
a little ball made of stone, baked clay, glass, porcelain, agate, or steel, especially for use in games.
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.
marbles, Slang. normal rational faculties; sanity; wits; common sense: to have all one's marbles; to lose one's marbles.
consisting or made of marble.
like marble, as in hardness, coldness, smoothness, etc.
lacking in warmth, compassion, or sympathy: marble heart.
of variegated or mottled color.
to color or stain like variegated marble.
to apply a decorative pattern to (paper, the edges of a book, etc.) by transferring oil pigments floating on water.
Origin of marble
1Other words from marble
- marbler, noun
- un·mar·bled, adjective
Other definitions for Marble (2 of 2)
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
“The Muslim community is marbled by fear and isolation,” Apuzzo and Goldman write in the epilogue.
9 Secrets of the NYPD’s Spy Unit Revealed in ‘Enemies Within’ | Abby Haglage | August 29, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThere will be op-eds, endless tweeting, and many a TV live shot with the marbled courthouse in the backdrop.
Online Activism, Nationwide Protests Deepen Ahead of Supreme Court Health-Care Hearing | Daniel Stone | March 23, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTThe flesh is finely marbled or interspersed with alternate fat and lean, and is of superior quality and flavor.
Domestic Animals | Richard L. AllenIt has a marbled appearance, which is due to a greenish mold that is introduced.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 2 | Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and SciencesIn the bathroom Judge Penniman shaved his marbled countenance with tender solicitude, fitting himself to adorn a sanctuary.
The Wrong Twin | Harry Leon Wilson
The marbled godwit, or marlin as it is also called, is one of the largest birds of the Scolopacidæ family.
Game Birds and Game Fishes of the Pacific Coast | Harry Thom PayneThe brook trout is a handsome fish with its brown and olive marbled back, scarlet spots and salmon-colored sides.
Game Birds and Game Fishes of the Pacific Coast | Harry Thom Payne
British Dictionary definitions for marble
/ (ˈmɑːbəl) /
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
a block or work of art of marble
a small round glass or stone ball used in playing marbles
make one's marble good Australian and NZ informal to succeed or do the right thing
pass in one's marble Australian informal to die
(tr) to mottle with variegated streaks in imitation of marble
cold, hard, or unresponsive
white like some kinds of marble
Origin of marble
1- See also marbles
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
[ mär′bəl ]
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
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.
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