bejewel

American  

[bih-joo-uhl] / bɪˈdʒu əl /

verb (used with object)

bejeweled, bejeweling, bejewelled, bejewelling

1. to adorn with or as if with jewels.

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bejewel British  

/ bɪˈdʒuːəl /

verb

1. (tr) to decorate with or as if with jewels

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Etymology

Origin of bejewel

First recorded in 1550–60; be- + jewel

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Explanation

To bejewel something is to decorate it with sparkly gems. You could make your plain tote bag more exciting if you bejewel it with shiny sequins and beads. You might bejewel a young friend's crown so she'll look more like a queen in her Halloween costume, or you could use a hot glue gun and bejewel some barrettes for your sister, who loves to dress in sparkly gowns. The word bejewel dates from the 1500s, with the jewel part rooted in the Old French word jouel, "ornament," possibly from the Latin jocus, "pastime," or in Vulgar Latin, "that which causes joy."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bejewel bejeweled bejeweling bejewelled bejewelling

Through six editions now, their clear, planed prose has proved an essential reference for Angelenos in search of all the treasures that bejewel L.A.’s rumpled topography.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2023

Yet so strong are her sublimation abilities that the beads of sweat appear to bejewel her.

From New York Times ● Nov. 15, 2018

This past season, the franchise with enough World Series rings to bejewel a small army failed to make the playoffs for the second straight year.

From New York Times ● Nov. 5, 2014

But Daniel Wende of Germany, you cannot bejewel a gladiator outfit.

From Time ● Feb. 16, 2010

There are none of the magnificent phrases which bejewel "Lear"; little of high wisdom, even in the pages which are indubitably Shakespeare's, and no characterization worth mentioning.

From The Man Shakespeare by Frank Harris

Among the earliest Buddhist artworks made in Korea, it is the only known example with a bejeweled bodhisattva flanked by two monk attendants.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

It included biker jackets adorned with bejeweled crosses and, in the finale, a halter top that featured the Virgin Mary made out of a mosaic of jewels.

From Salon ● May 17, 2026

In a bejeweled white pantsuit and towering stiletto pumps, Megyn Kelly tried to work the crowd like a rock star.

From Slate ● May 6, 2026

She stunned fashionistas in a diamond skeleton gown, with skin-toned mesh underneath, the bejeweled bones showing to the tips of her fingers.

From Barron's ● May 5, 2026

I look up and Cora Phillips is hovering near me, twisting the toes of her bejeweled sneakers in the dust.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

That’s a lot of friendship bracelets and bejeweling.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2024

“The bejeweling committee has studied your apprenticeships,” Scythe Mandela announced to them, although it was meant more for the entire conclave.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

“I have friends on the bejeweling committee. The boy is smart, but too quick to anger. It’s a fatal flaw that cannot be tolerated.”

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

“Candidates for scythehood, will you accept the judgment of the MidMerican bejeweling committee?” he asked—as if it were possible not to accept their decision.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

It is with bittersweet joy that I watch the bejeweling of new junior scythes at the end of each conclave.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

The show began with a pre-recorded video of Mars praying in a church for a good performance, before he emerged beneath visuals of a stained-glass window in a red suit bejewelled with roses.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

But after Nawat called for security to intervene, the besashed Bosch staged a walkout flanked by Miss Iraq, who wore a bejewelled floor-length robe.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2025

His opulent ivory and gold ensemble - created by designer Prabal Gurung - complete with a feathered bejewelled turban, trended in India for weeks.

From BBC ● May 31, 2025

Approximately 15,000 bejewelled, feathered costumes are made each year, according to a Notting Hill archive piece.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2023

The tinder-box with its endless varieties has not escaped studious attention but it has not come into the forefront of collecting as has the ornate and bejewelled snuff-box with its more highly attractive appearance.

From Feminism and Sex-Extinction by Arabella Kenealy

He described watching a raincloud float in and burst like a confetti cannon above the hangars to the east while the sun sparked like an elevated train over the western parking lot, bejewelling car windshields.

From The New Yorker ● Feb. 12, 2017

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