necklace
Americannoun
noun
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a chain, band, or cord, often bearing beads, pearls, jewels, etc, worn around the neck as an ornament, esp by women
-
(in South Africa) a tyre soaked in petrol, placed round a person's neck, and set on fire in order to burn the person to death
verb
Etymology
Origin of necklace
1580–90; neck + lace (in the sense “a cord or string to pull opposite ends together”)
Explanation
A necklace is jewelry you wear around your neck. You might decide your sparkly faux-diamond necklace is a bit dressy for your cousin's baseball game — but perfect for a fancy dinner out. A necklace can be a simple gold or silver chain, a length of beads or gems, or a pendant hanging from a cord. As long as it's worn around the neck, it's a necklace. The word, which dates from the late 1500s, combines neck with lace, meaning "cord," from the Old French laz, "string, cord, or snare." The Latin root, laqueum, means "noose or snare."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Seven years later that necklace is one of hundreds of items Murrell has admitted purchasing using cash he embezzled from the SNP.
From BBC • May 25, 2026
That was paired with an amethyst and diamond necklace gifted by a former Duchess of Kent to Queen Victoria and then passed to Queen Mary.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
Is it OK to search “all the rooms in a hotel for a gun or all the storage units or all bank deposit boxes for the pearl necklace that has been stolen?” he asked.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2026
The first piece presented featured a 10-carat Type IIa diamond—among the rarest and most chemically pure stones—set in a necklace that could be transformed into a ring.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
“Oh!” she said, and slowly removed her necklace, placing it into the wolf’s outstretched hand.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
