bezel

[bez-uh l]

noun

the diagonal face at the end of the blade of a chisel, or the like, leading to the edge.
Jewelry.
1. that part of a ring, bracelet, etc., to which gems are attached.
2. crown(def 27).
a grooved ring or rim holding a gem, watch crystal, etc., in its setting.

Automotive. the part of a vehicle's bodywork that surrounds a light.

Origin of bezel

1605–15; akin to French biseau bevel, chamfer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for bezel

Historical Examples of bezel

The bezel is raised by four steps or tables, and engraved with a monogram.
Finger-Ring Lore
William Jones
A simple hoop, flattened out on the bezel, which is engraved with the palm-branch.
Finger-Ring Lore
William Jones
An antique Roman silver ring, the bezel engraved with a hare.
Finger-Ring Lore
William Jones
Bind the bezel on this piece, wash with borax, and solder it in place.
The Library of Work and Play: Working in Metals
Charles Conrad Sleffel
Solder the bezel and the open part of the ring at the same time.
The Library of Work and Play: Working in Metals
Charles Conrad Sleffel

British Dictionary definitions for bezel

bezel

noun

the sloping face adjacent to the working edge of a cutting tool
the upper oblique faces of a cut gem
a grooved ring or part holding a gem, watch crystal, etc
a retaining outer rim used in vehicle instruments, e.g. in tachometers and speedometers
a small indicator light used in vehicle instrument panels

Word Origin for bezel

C17: probably from French biseau, perhaps from Latin bis twice

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bezel

1610s, "sloping edge," also "groove in which a stone is set," from Old French *besel (13c.; Modern French biseau), cognate with Spanish bisel; of uncertain origin, perhaps literally "a stone with two angles," from Vulgar Latin *bis-alus, from bis- "twice" (see bis-) + ala "wing, side" (see alar). Meaning "oblique face of a gem" is from c.1840. The verb meaning "grind (a tool) down to an edge" is from 1670s.