niello

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See also: niellò

English

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A snuffbox, engraved and rubbed with niello before firing and polishing

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian niello, from Latin nigellus (“blackish”).

Pronunciation

Noun

niello (countable and uncountable, plural niellos or nielli)

  1. (metallurgy) Any of various black metal alloys, made of sulphur with copper, silver or lead, used to create decorative designs on other metals.
    • 2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage, published 2007, page 283:
      a young woman named Renata, with a gesturing of her dark curls, beckoned him in with a cigarette-case of Russian silver and niello, which sprang open to reveal a collection of “smokes” […]
  2. An impression on paper taken from the engraved or incised surface before the niello alloy has been inlaid.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

niello (third-person singular simple present niellos, present participle nielloing, simple past and past participle nielloed)

  1. (transitive) To decorate (a surface) using this technique.

Anagrams

Italian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈnjɛl.lo/, (traditional) /niˈɛl.lo/
  • Rhymes: -ɛllo
  • Hyphenation: nièl‧lo, (traditional) ni‧èl‧lo

Etymology 1

Italian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia it

From Latin nigellus (“somewhat black”).

Noun

niello m (plural nielli)

  1. niello (type of metalwork)

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

niello

  1. first-person singular present indicative of niellare
Descendants
  • → English: niello
  • → French: nielle (probably)

Further reading

  • niello in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Anagrams

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