I. ˈmärbəl, ˈmȧb- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English marbel, from Old French marbre, from Latin marmor, from Greek marmaros marble, rock, probably from marainein to waste away — more at smart
1.
a. : limestone that is crystallized in varying degrees by metamorphism, that ranges from granular to compact in texture, that is white or tinted or veined or mottled with various colors (as bluish gray, red, yellow, green) or is sometimes black, that is capable of taking a usually high polish, and that is extensively used especially in architecture and sculpture
b. : something composed of or made from this limestone: as
(1) : a piece (as a block, slab, shaft) of this limestone
a table top of marble
especially : a commemorative monument (as an inscribed tablet, pillar, shaft, or tomb) made from this limestone
read the inscription on the marble
(2) : a piece of sculpture carved from this limestone
a museum with a splendid collection of ancient Greek marbles
c. : something resembling (as in hardness, rigidity, coldness, smoothness) or suggestive of this limestone
had a heart of marble and paid no attention to her tears
2.
a. : a little ball made of a hard substance (as agate, glass, porcelain, baked clay, steel) typically ranging from about 1/2 inch to about 1 inch in diameter ; especially : such a little ball used in various games
b. marbles plural but singular in construction : a children's game that is played with these little balls and that consists typically in trying to knock out of a certain area one or more of the balls arranged inside a circle or in a row by hitting the balls with another ball usually propelled by the thumb
3. : marbling
4. marbles plural , slang
a. : elements of common sense
the old man losing his marbles one by one — J.F.Powers
persons who are born without all their marbles — Arthur Miller
b. : food thrown up by the stomach
II. transitive verb
( marbled ; marbled ; marbling -b(ə)liŋ ; marbles )
: to make like marble especially in coloration : marbleize : streak , blotch , mottle ; specifically : to give a veined or mottled appearance to (as paper, book edges, book end papers, tiles, glass) by staining or varying the composition of or by some other process
III. adjective
1. : composed of or made from marble
a marble floor
marble top
2.
a. : resembling (as in hardness, rigidity, coldness, smoothness) or suggestive of marble
had a marble heart incapable of human warmth
the still evening and the marble calm of the lake
b. : marbled
marble paper
marble glass