jewel

¹

[ joo-uhl ]

noun

1. a cut and polished precious stone; gem.
2. a fashioned ornament for personal adornment, especially of a precious metal set with gems.
3. a precious possession.
4. a person or thing that is treasured, esteemed, or indispensable.
5. a durable bearing used in fine timepieces and other delicate instruments, made of natural or synthetic precious stone or other very hard material.
6. an ornamental boss of glass, sometimes cut with facets, in stained-glass work.
7. something resembling a jewel in appearance, ornamental effect, or the like, as a star.

verb (used with object)

, jew·eled, jew·el·ing or (especially British) jew·elled, jew·el·ling.

1. to set or adorn with jewels.

Jewel

²

[ joo-uhl ]

noun

1. a female given name.

jewel

/ ˈdʒuːəl /

noun

1. a precious or semiprecious stone; gem
2. a person or thing resembling a jewel in preciousness, brilliance, etc
3. a gemstone, often synthetically produced, used as a bearing in a watch
4. a piece of jewellery
5. an ornamental glass boss, sometimes faceted, used in stained glasswork
6. jewel in the crown
   the most valuable, esteemed, or successful person or thing of a number

   who will be the jewel in the crown of English soccer?

verb

1. tr to fit or decorate with a jewel or jewels

Derived Forms

• ˈjewelled, adjective
• ˈjewel-ˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• jewel·like adjective
• un·jeweled adjective
• un·jewelled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of jewel¹

1250–1300; Middle English jouel juel < Anglo-French jeul, Old French jouel, joel < Vulgar Latin *jocāle plaything, noun use of neuter of *jocālis (adj.) of play, equivalent to Latin joc ( us ) joke + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of jewel¹

C13: from Old French jouel, perhaps from jeu game, from Latin jocus

Example Sentences

Even the supposed “crown jewel of the reefs” looked bleached because of temperatures upwards of 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

From Salon

Monaco remains the jewel in the crown of Formula 1, and as such it is a desirable event to have on the calendar.

From BBC

The jewels were sold on Wednesday evening at an auction in Geneva.

From BBC

As for the jewelry, Kenneth Jay Lane custom-built two necklaces to mimic Holly’s jewels, which had to be hand-sewn by Lawson’s tailor Sarah Moore pearl by pearl to anchor it to the dress.

From Los Angeles Times

This particular one, which depicts California’s crown jewel of natural wonders, is part of a collection designed by artist Gretchen Leggitt that also pays homage to the Grand Canyon, Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bauble
• bead
• bling
• gem
• gemstone
• ornament
• stone
• trinket