scagliola

[ skal-yoh-luh ]

noun

plasterwork imitating marble, granite, or the like.

Origin of scagliola

1575–85; <Italian, equivalent to scagli(a) a chip (<Gothic skalja tile; cognate with shell) + -ola diminutive suffix

Other words from scagliola

scagl·io·list, noun

Words Nearby scagliola

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

How to use scagliola in a sentence

The sides of the library are adorned by scagliola pilasters and arched recesses, which contain the books.
Recollections of the late William Beckford | Henry Venn Lansdown
In the interior of this temple is a large black sarcophagus, resting on pedestals of scagliola marble.
Chelsea | George Bryan
The walls are of scagliola, and the ceiling is supported by a succession of white marble pillars.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction | Various

British Dictionary definitions for scagliola

scagliola

/ (skælˈjəʊlə) /

noun

imitation marble made of glued gypsum with a polished surface of coloured stone or marble dust

Origin of scagliola

C16: from Italian, diminutive of scaglia chip of marble, of Germanic origin; related to shale, scale ²

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

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