cipolin

[ sip-uh-lin ]

noun

1. an impure variety of marble with alternate white and greenish zones and a layered structure.

cipolin

/ ˈsɪpəlɪn /

noun

1. an Italian marble with alternating white and green streaks

Word History and Origins

Origin of cipolin¹

1790–1800; < French < Italian cipollino, equivalent to cipoll ( a ) onion (< Late Latin cēpulla, equivalent to Latin cēp ( a ) onion + -ulla diminutive suffix) + -ino -ine ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of cipolin¹

C18: from French, from Italian cipollino a little onion, from cipolla onion, from Late Latin cēpulla, diminutive of Latin cēpa onion; from its likeness to the layers of an onion

Example Sentences

In the kitchen, they simply moved the original sink of gray Carrara marble under a window, replaced tiles around the fireplace and mantle with cipolin, a marble quarried in this area, and added more light, “a kind of Americanism that makes this room a little bit more comfortable,” Mr. Pasanella said.

From New York Times

Years after, descriptions such as the following were still scrawled in charcoal on the bare stucco: "Here is a veneering of Parian marble"; "Here is a mantelpiece in cipolin marble"; "Here is a ceiling painted by Eugene Delacroix."

From Project Gutenberg

Friends who were invited out there were astonished to see scrawled in chalk on the walls: "Here, a covering of Paros marble; here, a ceiling painted by Eugene Delacroix; here, a mosaic flooring formed of rare wood from the isles; here, a chimney-piece in cipolin marble."

From Project Gutenberg