noun · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:mäl
Received-Pronunciation:/mɑːl/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:märl
General-American:/mɑɹl/
rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)l
1
noun
Meaning 1
A mixed earthy substance, consisting of carbonate of lime, clay, and possibly sand, in very variable proportions, and accordingly designated as calcareous, clayey, or sandy.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A species of bandicoot, Perameles myosurus, of southern Western Australia.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Australia
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: western barred bandicoot
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
To cover (the ground) with marl (noun sense).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
To cover, as part of a rope, with marline, marking a peculiar hitch at each turn to prevent unwinding.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: nautical, transport
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: marline
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
a loose and crumbling earthy deposit consisting mainly of calcite or dolomite; used as a fertilizer for soils deficient in lime
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: soil, dirt
History
Etymology
From Middle English marle, from Old French marle, from Late Latin margila, diminutive of marga (“marl”). Doublet of marla.
Borrowed from Nyunga maarl.
Across languages
Translations
72 source translations are retained for this English entry.
