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Marble: Meanings, Usage & Common Examples (3 meaning)
Meaning 1：hard patterned stone (marble)
marble
/ˈmɑːr.bəl/
n.
A beautiful, hard stone with natural patterns, often used for statues, floors, and countertops.
hard patterned stone
➕
/hɑːrd ˈpætərnd stəʊn/
n.
A metamorphic rock, typically crystalline and often showing swirling patterns, that is quarried and polished for use in architecture, sculpture, and decorative surfaces.
📘 Details & Usage
📖 Root Explanation
From Latin 'marmor', meaning 'shining stone', via Old French 'marbre'.
💡 Mnemonic
A MARBLE statue in a MARble Hall. The AR in the middle can remind you of ART, often made from marble.
📖 Example
The floor of the ancient temple was made of smooth, white marble.
The floor of the ancient temple was made of smooth, white marble.
🔗 Collocations
marble statue – a sculpture carved from marble
marble quarry – a place where marble is extracted from the earth
polished marble – marble that has been smoothed to a shiny finish
🔄 Synonyms
🚫 Antonyms
🌱 Derivatives
marbled (adj.) – having a pattern resembling marble, especially in meat
📖 Cultural Story
The word originates from the Latin 'marmor', which itself is derived from the Greek 'marmaros', meaning 'shining stone'. This reflects its polished, lustrous appearance. In high culture, marble is iconic for sculpture, most famously seen in Michelangelo's 'David' and the Parthenon in Athens.
Meaning 2：small glass ball (marble)
marble
/ˈmɑːr.bəl/
n.
A small, round glass ball with colored patterns inside, used by children to play games.
small glass ball
➕
/smɔːl ɡlɑːs bɔːl/
n.
A small, spherical toy made of glass, clay, or agate, often with colorful internal designs, used primarily in children's games.
📘 Details & Usage
📖 Example
He kept his most prized marble, a blue one with a golden swirl, in a special box.
He kept his most prized marble, a blue one with a golden swirl, in a special box.
🔗 Collocations
shooter marble – a larger marble used to strike other marbles in a game
bag of marbles – a collection of marbles stored together
glass marble – a marble specifically made from glass
🔄 Synonyms
🚫 Antonyms
cube (n.) – a solid object with six equal square faces, contrasting the sphere
Meaning 3：children's shooting game (marble)
marble
/ˈmɑːr.bəl/
n.
A traditional children's game played by shooting marbles with your fingers to hit other marbles.
children's shooting game
➕
/ˈtʃɪl.drənz ˈʃuː.tɪŋ ɡeɪm/
n.
A traditional children's game where players use their fingers to flick or 'shoot' a marble to hit other marbles out of a defined area.
📘 Details & Usage
📖 Example
In the park, a group of kids were deeply involved in a game of marbles.
In the park, a group of kids were deeply involved in a game of marbles.
🔗 Collocations
play marbles – to participate in the game of marbles
win all the marbles – an idiom meaning to win everything in a competition
marbles championship – a formal competition for playing marbles
🔄 Synonyms
ringtaw (n.) – a specific traditional version of the marbles game
🚫 Antonyms
solitaire (n.) – a card game for one person, contrasting with this multiplayer game
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