means A hard, crystalline metamorphic rock prized for sculpture and building, polished to a luminous sheen — or a small glass sphere children play with.

from From Latin 'marmor,' which passed into Old French as 'marbre' and arrived in Middle English. The Latin is likely borrowed from Greek 'marmaros,' a word tied to 'marmairein,' to gleam or sparkle — so the very name praises the way the stone catches light. The English 'l' is an oddity: 'marbre' slid into 'marble' through dissimilation, the tongue tiring of two r's so close together and swapping one for an l. The toy marbles take their name from the stone, even though most were never made of it.