niello

[ nee-el-oh ]

/ niˈɛl oʊ /

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noun, plural ni·el·li

[nee-el-ee]. /niˈɛl i/.

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.

ornamental work so produced.

a specimen of such work.

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.

to decorate by means of niello; treat with niello or by the niello process.

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Origin of niello

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

OTHER WORDS FROM niello

ni·el·list, noun

Words nearby niello

Niebuhr, niece, Niederösterreich, Niederrhein, Niedersachsen, niello, Nielsen, Nielsen rating, Nieman, Niemann-Pick disease, Niemen

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use niello in a sentence

It was of silver, but very beautifully engraved and adorned in Russian niello.
Paul Patoff|F. Marion Crawford
He was brought up to the hereditary profession of goldsmith and was early distinguished for his work in niello.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 3|Various
The date of the earliest known niello proof upon paper is 1452.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia|Various
Then she unclasped her girdle, one of those narrow Russian ribbons of silver woven stuff, studded with niello.
Vanitas|Vernon Lee

The assertion that Niello was unknown to the ancients, it is unnecessary to refute here.
The life and writings of Henry Fuseli, Volume III (of 3)|Henry Fuseli

British Dictionary definitions for niello

niello

/ (nɪˈɛləʊ) /

noun plural -li (-lɪ) or -los

a black compound of sulphur and silver, lead, or copper used to incise a design on a metal surface

the process of decorating surfaces with niello

a surface or object decorated with niello

verb -los, -loing or -loed

(tr) to decorate or treat with niello

Derived forms of niello

niellist, noun

Word Origin for niello

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

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