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• jewel
  jewel

  noun

  a cut and polished precious stone; gem.
• Jewel
  Jewel

  noun

  a female given name.

jewel

¹ American  

[joo-uhl] / ˈdʒu əl /

noun

jewels plural

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.

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verb (used with object)

jeweled, jeweling, jewelled, jewelling

1. to set or adorn with jewels.

Jewel ² American  

[joo-uhl] / ˈdʒu əl /

noun

1. a female given name.

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jewel British  

/ 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. the most valuable, esteemed, or successful person or thing of a number

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

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• jewel-like
  adjective
• jewelled
  adjective
• jewellike
  adjective
• unjeweled
  adjective
• unjewelled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• jewels
  plural

Etymology

Origin of jewel

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

Explanation

A jewel is a valuable gem or stone, one that might be set in a ring or necklace. Your grandmother might keep her jewels locked in a safe, to protect them from thieves. You can see large, gorgeous jewels in museums and jewelry stores. The diamond in a diamond ring is a jewel, and the rubies in a pair of sparkly red earrings are also jewels. You can also use the word to mean "person as special as a jewel." The Old French root is jouel, which may stem from jocus, "sport or pastime" in Latin, and "that which causes joy" in Vulgar Latin.

Example Sentences

The Jewel House exhibition had to close temporarily but reopened to the public later that afternoon.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

I did talk to people who are happy with Runna, including Jewel Christensen, a seasoned runner from Yakima, Wash.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 8, 2026

A family-friendly mix of artists included Elmo and Christopher Jackson, Shaggy and Busta Rhymes, Foreigner and Debbie Gibson, Jewel and Cynthia Erivo, the voices behind the hit animated series K-Pop Demon Hunters.

From Salon • Nov. 27, 2025

In July, Wilson was struck again by memories of days gone by when Jewel Thais-Williams, the founder of the legendary Black queer club Jewel’s Catch One on Pico Boulevard, died at age 86.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 10, 2025

Like Mr. Clutter, the young man breakfasting in a cafe called the Little Jewel never drank coffee.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

Related Words

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