marbledadj.
/ˈmɑːbld/, U.S. /ˈmɑrbəld/ 1. Made of marble; turned to marble; portrayed in marble; characterized by marble buildings or sculptures, decorated with marble.
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the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > types of ornamentation > [adjective] > spangled
marmoratec1537
sparked1552
spangled1584
marbled1598
clinquanta1618
bespangled1634
spankled1777
spangly1818
society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > stone or rock > [adjective] > made of marble > covered with marble
marmoratec1537
marbled1598
marmorated1731
1598 S. Brandon Tragicomoedi of Vertuous Octauia i. sig. Bv Like Medusaes marbled creatures, they Amazed stood.
1628–9 Accts. Masters of Wks. in A. Macdonald & J. Dennistoun Misc. Maitland Club (1843) III. ii. 375 With the chimnay marbillit.
1769 H. Brooke Fool of Quality IV. xvii. 226 Marbled effigies and monumental deposits of the renowned.
1821 Ld. Byron Isles of Greece in Don Juan: Canto III 51 Place me on Sunium's marbled steep.
1844 Ld. Houghton Scott at Tomb in Mem. Many Scenes 132 His marbled form will meet the attentive eye.
1851 G. Meredith Sleeping City 109 A marbled City planted there With all its pageants and despair.
1885 H. O. Forbes Naturalist's Wanderings Eastern Archipel. 6 Fine residences..conspicuous by the blaze of light that lit up their pillared and marbled fronts.
1908 S. E. White Riverman xi After freshening up in the marbled and boarded washroom, he hunted up Newmark.
1988 M. Chabon Myst. Pittsburgh i. 10 I came around the concrete corner that gave way to the marbled steps of the library.
2.
a. Frequently Botany and Pathology. Veined, mottled, dappled, or pied. Also with with.
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the world > animals > animal body > markings or colourings > [adjective] > dappled or spotted
spotteda1325
flecked1377
dappledc1400
maculous?a1425
mailedc1425
variant1502
garled1506
sparked1552
menil1611
marbled1629
ticked1688
varied1715
maculose1727
the world > plants > appearance of plant > plant defined by colour or marking > [adjective] > having particular type marking or colouring
streaked1600
marbled1629
muscadine1646
agated1665
silver-cupped1688
red-top1705
tessellated1723
lineate1777
fancy1793
red-tipped1800
areolated1802
white-lipped1813
variegated1818
pennaceous1819
streak-flowered1822
limbate1826
unbroken1829
sanguine-heart1840
rivulose1843
pencilled1846
areolate1847
notate1857
sigillate1858
discolor1859
discolorous1860
fumose1866
fumous1866
tricolour1866
unnetted1869
the world > matter > colour > variegation > patch of colour > [adjective] > marbled
marblea1450
marblya1450
marbled1629
marly1721
marbleized1851
1629 J. Parkinson Paradisi in Sole viii. 21 Gilloflouers..white, red, blush,..marbled, speckled, striped, flaked.
1665 J. Rea Flora 47 Leaves which, warmed by the sun..change into divers glorious colours, variously mixed, edged, striped, agoted, marbled.
1720 in T. D'Urfey Wit & Mirth VI. 357 At the break of morning light, When the marbled Sky looks gay.
1818 Art of preserving Feet 154 If the chilblain is merely neglected, the skin..becomes livid and of a marbled appearance.
1883 Hardwich's Photogr. Chem. (ed. 9) 331 The Print Marbled and Streaky.—These defects are often seen before the print is toned.
1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VIII. 462 It [sc. an eruption on the skin] may be uniform, or figured, or marbled.
1937 W. Lewis Revenge for Love ii. i. 75 Her head of a small wistful seabird, delicately drafted..to skate upon the marbled surface of the waves.
1977 A. Thwaite Portion for Foxes 22 The black and marbled innards Torn from a rat.
1991 Garden (Royal Hort. Soc.) Mar. 123/3 Three Trillium sessile display maroon bracts attached to..marbled leaves.
b. [Frequently corresponding to scientific Latin marmoratus, marmorata (as a specific epithet).] In the names of animals and plants which have mottled or dappled markings. See also Compounds.
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1665 J. Rea Flora iv. 27 The marbled Rose in the growing doth much resemble the Velvet Rose.
1699 J. Petiver Musei Petiveriani iv-v. 33 The white marbled female Butterfly.
1707 J. Mortimer Whole Art Husbandry (1721) II. 164 The Marbled Rose,..its Leaves are larger, of a light red Colour marbled and veined.
1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm III. 762 The common long red or marbled mangel-würzel.
1881 Encycl. Brit. XII. 741/2 Among other species of the family Felidæ found in India may be mentioned..the marbled tiger cat (F. marmorata), [etc.].
1884 G. B. Goode Nat. Hist. Aquatic Animals 173 Marbled Angler, Pterophryne histrio.
1901 E. Step Shell Life xvi. 290 The Marbled Slug (Lomanotus marmoratus) has the head hidden by a slight veil.
1953 H. S. Zim & H. M. Smith Reptiles & Amphibians vi. 144 Marbled salamander..is smaller than others in this group, but like most is a stout, thick-set creature.
1977 Weekly Times (Melbourne) 19 Jan. 33/1 The small, mottled Marbled Scorpion grows to between 1 in. and 2 in. in length.
1992 Independent 31 Jan. 5 (caption) One of 14 marbled electric rays born at the Sea-Life Centre in Portsmouth.
3.
a. Coloured or stained with a variegated pattern so as to resemble marble.
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the world > matter > colour > variegation > patch of colour > [adjective] > marbled > artificially
marbled1667
marble1703
1667 W. Petty in T. Sprat Hist. Royal-Soc. 286 Colouring of Paper, viz. Marbled Paper, by distempering the colours with Ox-gall.
1671 R. Boyle Some Considerations Usefulnesse Exper. Nat. Philos. (ed. 2) iv. 14 Those fine Covers of Books that, for their resemblance to speckld Marble, are wont to be call'd Marbled.
1699 H. Wanley Let. 25 June in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eminent Lit. Men (1843) 276 Common marbled Paper.
1730 Philos. Trans. 1729–30 (Royal Soc.) 36 267 The second makes them of an Ash Colour and Marbled or Iaspered.
1761 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy III. xxxvi. 168 You will no more be able to penetrate the moral of the next marbled page (motly emblem of my work!).
1863 Bookseller's Catal. Fine copy, calf extra, full gilt backs, marbled edges.
1885 C. G. W. Lock Workshop Receipts 4th Ser. 242/1 The edge of marbled books should correspond with their marbled ends.
1939 Daily Tel. 18 Dec. 4/3 Sterne..gives us sly obscenities, anecdotes that lead nowhere, blank pages, marbled pages, all the affectations of a mocking self-conscious eccentricity.
1977 Sci. Amer. Aug. 101/2 Several unfamiliar materials were used inside the car:..tubular-steel, chromium-plated seat frames and marbled rubber floor mats.
1990 Ideal Home Apr. 38 (caption) Trompe l'oeil columns and marbled dado give palatial splendour to walls.
b. spec. Of meat: having the lean streaked with thin layers of fat (an indication of high quality).
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the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > [adjective] > relating to meat > streaked with fat
streaked1688
marbled1803
streaky1838
1803 J. Sinclair in A. Hunter et al. Georgical Ess. (new ed.) IV. xvii. 355 There is no better sign of good flesh, than when it is marbled.
1834 W. Youatt Cattle 270 The meat is finely marbled and well-flavoured.
1847 W. C. L. Martin Ox 13/1 The beef..is finely marbled, and of excellent quality.
1989 Internat. Business Week 21 Aug. 32/1 These animals are stuffed with grain to produce marbled steaks that tempt Japanese palates.
Compounds
marbled beauty n. a small Eurasian noctuid moth, Cryphia domestica, with forewings that are mottled with a variable amount of grey.
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the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > Heterocera > [noun] > family Caradrinidae > bryophila perla (marbled beauty)
marbled beauty1867
1867 H. T. Stainton Brit. Butterflies & Moths vi. 66 The Marbled Beauty.
1961 H. M. Edelsten & D. S. Fletcher South's Moths Brit. Isles (new ed.) I. 260 The Marbled Beauty (Cryphia perla Schiff.). Typically the fore wings of this species are white, marbled with slaty grey, and with the stigmata dark grey.
1986 M. Chinery Insects Brit. & W. Europe 162 Marbled Beauty Cryphia domestica. Grey may be replaced by green.
marbled cat n. a medium-small Asian wild cat, Felis marmorata, which has a brownish coat richly marked with dark blotches and stripes, occurring in forests from Nepal to Borneo.
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the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Felidae (feline) > [noun] > genus Felis > other types of
margay1775
pampas cat1827
marbled cat1840
golden cat1871
leopard cat1884
1840 E. Blyth et al. Cuvier's Animal Kingdom 95 The..Marbled Cat (F[elis] marmorata).
1910 Encycl. Brit. V. 368/1 The Tibetan Fontanier's cat (F. tristis).., and the Indian marbled cat (F. marmorata).., appear to be the Asiatic representatives of the American ocelots.
1971 S. H. Prater Bk. Indian Animals (ed. 3) 71 As a sub-genus (Pardofelis), the Marbled Cat is distinguished from the leopard-cat and other Oriental relatives by structural peculiarities of the skull.
1991 R. M. Nowak Walker's Mammals of World (ed. 5) II. 1199/2 The marbled cat is a forest dweller, apparently nocturnal and partly arboreal in habit.
marbled godwit n. the godwit Limosa fedoa of central Canada (migrating to the southern United States and Peru), which has tawny brown colouring mottled and barred with black.
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1787 T. Pennant Arctic Zool. Suppl. 68 Marbled Godwit... Inhabits Hudson's Bay.
1834 T. Nuttall Man. Ornithol. U.S. & Canada: Water Birds 174 The Marbled Godwit, in large flocks, appears in the salt marshes of Massachusetts, about the middle of August.
1944 L. A. Hausman Illustr. Encycl. Amer. Birds 105 The Marbled Godwits are birds of the seashore, where they follow the retreating surf, feeding as they go.
1996 Sci. Amer. Mar. 73/2 (caption) Supratidal residents of a mangrove swamp include a variety of plants, arthropods, snails and insects, and it is no surprise that the marbled godwit has little trouble finding food.
marbled green n. a small Eurasian noctuid moth, Cryphia muralis, with forewings that are mottled with varying shades of greyish-green or brown.
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the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > Heterocera > [noun] > family Caradrinidae > bryophila glandifera (marbled green)
marbled green1870
1870 Eng. Mech. 25 Feb. 571/2 The Marbled Green (Bryophila glandifera).
1967 E. B. Ford Moths (ed. 2) 162 It is doubtful how much light is to be thrown upon our relict moths by a study of the Marbled Green, Cryphia muralis Fors.
1984 B. Skinner Moths Brit. Isles 122/2 Marbled Green, Cryphia muralis muralis Forster... Ground colour of forewing ranges from almost white, through various shades of green to dark olive-green.
marbled murrelet n. a small North Pacific auk, Brachyramphus marmoratus, with mottled brown plumage in the breeding season.
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1886 L. M. Turner Contrib. Nat. Hist. Alaska 185 Brachyramphus marmoratus..Marbled Murrelet.
1953 S. G. Jewett et al. Birds Washington State 323 Marbled murrelets were found quite constantly near canneries, though not known to eat refuse.
1996 A. Outwater Water 49 The marbled murrelets, also endangered, nest in the moss beds high above ground.
marbled newt n. a large newt of south-western Europe, Triturus marmoratus, having green skin marked with black blotches.
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1947 Proc. Zool. Soc. 117 247 In 1862, de l'Isle described a species of newt from Brittany, Triton blasii, which in its chief characters was intermediate between the Crested Newt, T. cristatus..and the Marbled Newt, T. marmoratus.
1978 E. N. Arnold & J. A. Burton Field Guide Reptiles & Amphibians Brit. & Europe 42 Triturus marmoratus Marbled Newt... Confined to Iberia and S. and W. France.
1990 J. Gilbert tr. M. Capula Macdonald Encycl. Amphibians & Reptiles No. 33 The marbled newt is found in pools and ponds only during the breeding season, from February to April.
marbled polecat n. a Eurasian polecat, Vormela peregusna, which has a yellowish back with dark brown markings, occurring from south-eastern Europe to China.
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1961 Webster's 3rd New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. Marbled polecat, tiger weasel [Tiger weasel, any of several heavily built Old World weasels closely related to the polecats but usually held to comprise a separate genus (Vormela)].
1980 G. Corbet & D. Ovenden Mammals Brit. & Europe 183 The Marbled polecat closely resembles the Western and Steppe polecats in size and form but has a unique mottled coat.
1999 Britannica Online (Version 99.1) at Carnivore Being carnivorous, mustelids sometimes become pests, especially around poultry—particularly when the poultry farmer is lax in his sanitation. Weasels, marbled polecats, and striped skunks are the common offenders.
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1629 J. Parkinson Paradisi in Sole cix. 416 The Rose without thornes hath..divers pale coloured veines through every leafe of the flower, which hath caused some to call it The marbled Rose.
1707 J. Mortimer Whole Art Husbandry 477 The Marbled Rose,..its Leaves are larger, of a light red Colour marbled and veined.
1841 Penny Cycl. XX. 157/2 The spotted, striped, and marbled roses belong to this species [sc. Rosa gallica].
marbled seal n. rare the ringed seal, Phoca hispida.
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1871 Proc. Zool. Soc. June 506 Occurrence of the Ringed or Marbled Seal (Phoca hispida) on the Coast of Norfolk.
marbled white n. (more fully marbled white butterfly) a European satyrid butterfly, Melanargia galathea, which has whitish wings with black markings and is found in rough grassland; also (with distinguishing word), any of various other butterflies of the genus Melanargia.
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the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > Rhopalocera (butterflies) > [noun] > family Satyridae > arge galathea (marbled white)
marble butterfly1749
marbled white butterfly1766
1699 J. Petiver Musei Petiveriani iv-v.33 The white marbled female Butterfly.]
1766 M. Harris Aurelian 24 (heading) The Marmoress, or Marbled White.
1829 J. F. Stephens Systematic Catal. Brit. Insects ii. 16 The Marbled White or Marmoress.
1876 Encycl. Brit. IV. 595/2 The Marbled White (Arge galathea) is the species often met with in Britain.
a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) I. xx. 539 The flavone pigment of the marbled white butterfly is found in the cocksfoot grass on which the caterpillar feeds.
1989 A. M. Emmet et al. Moths & Butterflies Great Brit. & Ireland VII. i. 260/1 Melanargia Meigen... A small Palaearctic genus... These butterflies, the ‘marbled whites’, are easily distinguished from other members of the family by their bold black and white pattern.
1991 Choice Jan. 13/3 In the Yorkshire Wolds the Marbled White has sprung back to life.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2000; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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adj.1598