marbles

mar-bles · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    Small balls of glass, stone, or clay used in children's games.

  2. 2.

    A children's game played with these small balls, typically by rolling or flicking them.

  3. 3.

    (informal) One's mental faculties; sanity or common sense.

  4. 4.

    Plural of marble as a material; pieces or slabs of marble stone.

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    lose one's marbles — to become mentally unstable or irrational
  • •
    have all one's marbles — to be mentally sharp despite old age
  • •
    pick up one's marbles and go home — to quit in frustration

Related words

See also: games, marble
Synonyms: glass balls

Etymology

Plural of "marble," from Greek mármaros ("shining stone"). The game sense developed from the fact that small polished stones were originally used. See [[marble]].