Cipollino
/ˌtʃɪpəˈliːnoʊ/noun
A variety of marble marked by greenish or bluish veins resembling the layers of an onion.
Did you know?The name reflects a long-standing visual metaphor: Italian cipollino marble was thought to resemble a sliced onion, while ancient varieties of the stone were prized in monumental architecture.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
caepa
“Onion; the source of later Romance words for onion.”
Late Latin
Latin
cepulla
“A small onion; a diminutive form derived from caepa.”
Medieval Latin / Romance
Latin/Italian
cipolla
“Onion; developed through regular sound changes in Italian.”
Italian
Italian
cipollino
“Little onion; also applied to onion-like, green-veined marble.”
17th–18th Century
Italian/English
cipollino
“A recognized name for a green-veined ornamental marble, adopted into English architectural and art vocabulary.”
Modern English
English
cipollino
“Marble with greenish or bluish veins, especially the decorative stone used in architecture.”
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