niello

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
6
Words With Friends
9
Letters
6
Pronunciation
/niˈɛləʊ/(UK)
See all 2 pronunciations
/niˈɛləʊ/(UK) · /niˈɛloʊ/(US)

Definition of niello

3 senses · 2 parts of speech · etymology included

noun

  1. (countable, uncountable)Any of various black metal alloys, made of sulphur with copper, silver or lead, used to create decorative designs on other metals.
    “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” […]”
See all 3 definitions

noun

  1. (countable, uncountable)Any of various black metal alloys, made of sulphur with copper, silver or lead, used to create decorative designs on other metals.
    “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. (countable, uncountable)An impression on paper taken from the engraved or incised surface before the niello alloy has been inlaid.

verb

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

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

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

Anagrams of niello

3 plays · some not in Scrabble

Hooks

1 extension · 1 back

A single letter you can add to niello to make another valid word.

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