English Explanatory Dictionary

jewel

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A precious or semi-precious stone; gem, gemstone.
  2. A valuable object used for personal ornamentation, especially one made of precious metals and stones; a piece of jewellery.
  3. Anything precious or valuable.
  4. A bearing for a pivot in a watch, formed of a crystal or precious stone.
  5. Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the genus Hypochrysops.
  6. The clitoris.
  7. A jewel box (optical disc container).
verb
  1. To bejewel; to decorate or bedeck with jewels or gems.
name
  1. A female given name from English from the noun jewel, used since the end of the 19th century.
  2. A male given name from English, a variant of Jewell, or from "jewel" like the female name.

Pronunciation

/ˈd͡ʒuːəl/ /ˈd͡ʒuːl/ /ˈd͡ʒʊəl/ /d͡ʒul/ /ˈd͡ʒuəl/ en-us-jewel.ogg /ˈd͡ʒɪu̯əl/ /d͡ʒʉl/ /d͡ʒʉ.əl/ /dʒʋɛl/

Word forms

jewel jewels jeweling jewelling jeweled jewelled

Etymology

From Middle English juel, jewel, juwel, jeuel, jowel, from Anglo-Norman juel, from Old French jouel, joel, joïel, hence French joyau, of uncertain origin. Perhaps based ultimately on Latin gaudium (“joy”), or on Latin iocus (“joke; jest”), or according to Pihan, from Arabic جَوْهَر (jawhar). Compare Medieval Latin jocale. Displaced native Old English māþm.

Derived words

bejewel crown jewel ditch jewel eight-jewel enjewel jewel anemone jewel-babbler jewel bearing jewel beetle jewel block jewel box jewel bug jewel case jewel cichlid jewelcrafting jewel crafting jeweler jeweller jewelfish jewelfront jewelhouse jewel in the crown jewel in the Liberal crown jewelled jewellery jewelry jewelless jewellike jewelly jewel-neck jewel salad jewel scarab jewelsmith jewel tone jewelweed jewel-weed jewel yam jewie unjewel
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