pietra dura

English

Etymology

Italian, literally "hard stone".

Noun

pietra dura (uncountable)

  1. (art) Hard and fine stones in general, as used for inlay etc. and distinguished from the softer stones used in building.
    A Florentine mosaic is a familiar instance of work in pietra dura, though the ground may be soft marble.

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for pietra dura in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.)

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