niello sterling silver and niello
shield-shaped shoe buckle
ni·el·lo (nē-ĕl′ō) n. pl. ni·el·li (-ĕl′ē) or
ni·el·los 1. Any of several black metallic alloys of sulfur with copper, silver, or lead, used to fill an incised design on the surface of another metal.
2. A surface or object decorated with one of these alloys.
3. The art or process of ornamenting metal surfaces with one of these alloys.
tr.v. ni·el·loed ,
ni·el·lo·ing ,
ni·el·los To decorate or inlay with niello.
[Italian, from Medieval Latin
nigellum , from neuter of Latin
nigellus , diminutive of
niger ,
black ; see
nekw -t- in
Indo-European roots .]
ni·el′list n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
niello (nɪˈɛləʊ ) n ,
pl -li (
-lɪ )
or -los 1. (Art Terms) a black compound of sulphur and silver, lead, or copper used to incise a design on a metal surface
2. (Art Terms) the process of decorating surfaces with niello
3. (Art Terms) a surface or object decorated with niello
vb ,
-los ,
-loing or -loed (Art Terms) (tr ) to decorate or treat with niello
[C19: from Italian from Latin nigellus blackish, from niger black]
niˈellist n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ni•el•lo (niˈɛl oʊ) n., pl. -el•li (-ˈɛl i) v. -el•loed, -el•lo•ing. n. 1. a black metallic substance, consisting of silver, copper, lead, and sulfur, with which an incised design or ground is filled to create an ornamental effect on metal.
2. ornamental work so created.
v.t. 3. to decorate with niello.
[1810–20; < Italian]
ni•el′list, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
niello Past participle: nielloedGerund: nielloingImperative Present Preterite Present Continuous Present Perfect Past Continuous Past Perfect Future Future Perfect Future Continuous Present Perfect Continuous Future Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous Conditional Past Conditional Present I niello you niello he/she/it niellos we niello you niello they niello
Preterite I nielloed you nielloed he/she/it nielloed we nielloed you nielloed they nielloed
Present Continuous I am nielloing you are nielloing he/she/it is nielloing we are nielloing you are nielloing they are nielloing
Present Perfect I have nielloed you have nielloed he/she/it has nielloed we have nielloed you have nielloed they have nielloed
Past Continuous I was nielloing you were nielloing he/she/it was nielloing we were nielloing you were nielloing they were nielloing
Past Perfect I had nielloed you had nielloed he/she/it had nielloed we had nielloed you had nielloed they had nielloed
Future I will niello you will niello he/she/it will niello we will niello you will niello they will niello
Future Perfect I will have nielloed you will have nielloed he/she/it will have nielloed we will have nielloed you will have nielloed they will have nielloed
Future Continuous I will be nielloing you will be nielloing he/she/it will be nielloing we will be nielloing you will be nielloing they will be nielloing
Present Perfect Continuous I have been nielloing you have been nielloing he/she/it has been nielloing we have been nielloing you have been nielloing they have been nielloing
Future Perfect Continuous I will have been nielloing you will have been nielloing he/she/it will have been nielloing we will have been nielloing you will have been nielloing they will have been nielloing
Past Perfect Continuous I had been nielloing you had been nielloing he/she/it had been nielloing we had been nielloing you had been nielloing they had been nielloing
Conditional I would niello you would niello he/she/it would niello we would niello you would niello they would niello
Past Conditional I would have nielloed you would have nielloed he/she/it would have nielloed we would have nielloed you would have nielloed they would have nielloed
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011