noun / adjective / verb
marble
MAR-buhl/ˈmɑːrbl/
A decorative building stone distinguished by colored veins.
Soft gray veins run through the polished white marble slab.
Etymology
Latin marmor already named this stone. Its Greek relative marmaros meant “marble” or “gleaming stone” and may be connected with a verb meaning “to shine,” though its origin is unknown.
In context
Marble is not just a beautiful stone for decoration or sculpture. It is a material that has millions of years of geological transformation behind it.
More examples
- The sculptor carves a figure from a block of marble.
- The museum's marble stairs feel cool underfoot.
- We marble the paper with blue and gold swirls.
Forms
marble · marbles · marbled · marbling
Similar words
- granite
- Granite is typically speckled rather than streaked with veins.
- limestone
- Limestone is usually less crystalline and less distinctly veined.