marble

¹

[ mahr-buhl ]

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.

3. an object made of or carved from this stone, especially 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, especially 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.

adjective

1. consisting or made of marble.
2. like marble, as in hardness, coldness, smoothness, etc.
3. lacking in warmth, compassion, or sympathy:

   marble heart.

4. 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.

Marble

²

[ mahr-buhl ]

noun

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

marble

/ ˈmɑːbəl /

noun

1. 1. a hard crystalline metamorphic rock resulting from the recrystallization of a limestone: takes a high polish and is used for building and sculpture
   2. ( as modifier ) marmoreal

      a marble bust

2. a block or work of art of marble
3. a small round glass or stone ball used in playing marbles
4. make one's marble good informal.
   to succeed or do the right thing
5. pass in one's marble 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

marble

/ mär′bəl /

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.

Derived Forms

• ˈmarbly, adjective
• ˈmarbled, adjective
• ˈmarbler, noun

Other Words From

• marbler noun
• un·marbled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of marble¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of marble¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

see have all one's buttons (marbles) .

Example Sentences

We join the throngs of Chinese tour groups walking through white marble gates.

From BBC

They celebrated in Highland Park and the San Fernando Valley, across Sunset Boulevard and at Chavez Ravine and anywhere Dodgers fans exist on this big blue marble called Earth.

From Los Angeles Times

Contractors had come to fix loose flooring, and were "told to bring eight people" but "sent two and lifted it and managed to break the marble in half because of the weight," Nick says.

From BBC

Along the way, you may see marbled godwits, snowy egrets and other shorebirds.

From Los Angeles Times

“The October surprise is that Trump has completely lost his marbles,” Anthony Scaramucci, the former president’s one-time White House communications director, posted on social media.

From Salon