[mahr-buh
l] 
noun, adjective, verb, -bled, -bling.| 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. |
| 3. | an object made of or carved from this stone, esp. a sculpture: Renaissance marbles. |
| 4. | a piece of this stone: the fallen marbles of Roman ruins. |
| 5. | (not in technical use) any of various breccias or other stones that take a high polish and show a variegated pattern. |
| 6. | a marbled appearance or pattern; marbling: The woodwork had a greenish marble. |
| 7. | anything resembling marble in hardness, coldness, smoothness, etc.: a brow of marble. |
| 8. | something lacking in warmth or feeling. |
| 9. | a little ball made of stone, baked clay, glass, porcelain, agate, or steel, esp. for use in games. |
| 10. | 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. |
| 11. | marbles, Slang. normal rational faculties; sanity; wits; common sense: to have all one's marbles; to lose one's marbles. |
| 12. | consisting or made of marble. |
| 13. | like marble, as in hardness, coldness, smoothness, etc. |
| 14. | lacking in warmth, compassion, or sympathy: marble heart. |
| 15. | of variegated or mottled color. |
| 16. | to color or stain like variegated marble. |
| 17. | to apply a decorative pattern to (paper, the edges of a book, etc.) by transferring oil pigments floating on water. |
| marble (mär'bəl) Pronunciation Key
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. |