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

Svo turned up with an associate dressed in police uniforms and confiscated 800,000 rubles’ worth of cash and jewels, then told the mark to report himself to the local authorities the next day.

From Ozy

If you weren’t told it was a prison, the “crown jewel” of prisons, you might not know.

From Ozy

This book is a jewel, and soon it will be translated into English so that many others can learn about your incredible life.

From Washington Blade

Denver, the mile-high city, is the largest in a 600-mile radius and the jewel of Colorado.

From No Straight News

So it’s surrounded by desert, and it’s this kind of emerald jewel in the middle of sub-Saharan Africa.

From Freakonomics

“The agency tasked with protecting the highest office in our land should be the crown jewel of federal law enforcement,” he said.

From The Daily Beast

After all, the Hamptons has the reputation of being an artistic jewel in the East Coast crown.

From The Daily Beast

These days, Tirico announces everything from the World Cup to the NBA Finals to the crown jewel, Monday Night Football.

From The Daily Beast

For dinner, Sidney Street Café, the jewel in St. Louis' culinary crown.

From The Daily Beast

In the end, internal conflict tore apart the New Jewel Movement.

From The Daily Beast

You never know when you are going to stumble upon a jewel in the most out-of-the-way corner.

From Project Gutenberg

The quiet of the deserted building incircled the little, glowing room as the velvet incircles the jewel in its case.

From Project Gutenberg

With such an assembly at hand the time was ripe for selling Daisy-Jewel to the highest bidder.

From Project Gutenberg

And I put a jewel upon thy forehead and earrings in thy ears, and a beautiful crown upon thy head.

From Project Gutenberg

Automatically, as a result of habit, she unlocked her jewel-case and took out a tiny phial containing minute cachets.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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