niello

[ nee-el-oh ]

noun,plural ni·el·li [nee-el-ee]. /niˈɛl i/.
  1. a black metallic substance, consisting of silver, copper, lead, and sulfur, with which an incised design or ground is filled to produce an ornamental effect on metal.

  2. ornamental work so produced.

  1. a specimen of such work.

  2. a print on paper made from an incised metal plate before the application of niello and associated especially with 15th-century Italy.

verb (used with object),ni·el·loed, ni·el·lo·ing.
  1. to decorate by means of niello; treat with niello or by the niello process.

Origin of niello

1
1810–20; <Italian <Latin nigellus blackish, diminutive of niger black

Other words from niello

  • ni·el·list, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use niello in a sentence

  • The brass and nickel signs with black letters, which we find at the doors of business houses, are modern forms of nielli.

    What Philately Teaches | John N. Luff
  • After this came some original drawings of doubtful interest, and then a case of fifty-two nielli.

British Dictionary definitions for niello

niello

/ (nɪˈɛləʊ) /


nounplural -li (-lɪ) or -los
  1. a black compound of sulphur and silver, lead, or copper used to incise a design on a metal surface

  2. the process of decorating surfaces with niello

  1. a surface or object decorated with niello

verb-los, -loing or -loed
  1. (tr) to decorate or treat with niello

Origin of niello

1
C19: from Italian from Latin nigellus blackish, from niger black

Derived forms of niello

  • niellist, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012