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.
–adjective
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.
–verb (used with object)
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.
[Origin: 1150–1200; ME marbel, dissimilated var. of OE marmel (in marmelstān marble stone) < L marmor < Gk mármaros, akin to marmaírein to sparkle]
marble, metamorphic rock composed wholly or in large part of calcite or dolomite crystals, the crystalline texture being the result of metamorphism of limestone by heat and pressure. The term marble is loosely applied to any limestone or dolomite that takes a good polish and is otherwise suitable as a building stone or ornamental stone. Marbles range in color from snow-white to gray and black, many varieties being some shade of red, yellow, pink, green, or buff; the colors, which are caused by the presence of impurities, are frequently arranged in bands or patches and add to the beauty of the stone when it is cut and polished. Marble is used as a material in statuary and monuments, as a facing stone in buildings and residences, and for pillars, colonnades, paneling, wainscoting, and floor tiles. Like all limestones, it is corroded by water and acid fumes and is thus ultimately an uneconomical material for use in exposed places and in large cities. The presence of certain impurities decreases its durability. Marble was extensively used by the ancient Greeks; the Parthenon and other famous buildings were constructed of white Pentelic marble from Mt. Pentelicus in Attica, and the finest statues, e.g., the Venus de' Medici, from the remarkably lustrous Parian marble from Paros in the Cyclades. These same quarries were later used by the Romans. Among the famous marbles of Italy are the Carrara and Siena marbles of Tuscany, which were used by the Romans and the Italian sculptors of the Renaissance. Marbles are quarried in all parts of the world. The finest marbles in the United States come from Vermont, which produces large quantities. Other states important as marble producers are Massachusetts, Maryland, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, California, Colorado, and Arizona. See alabaster.
![[P]](http://cache.lexico.com/g/r/premium_mh.gif){kind=small}
Audio Help [mahr-buh