jewelry
Americannoun
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articles of gold, silver, precious stones, etc., for personal adornment.
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any ornaments for personal adornment, as necklaces or cuff links, including those of base metals, glass, plastic, or the like.
Etymology
Origin of jewelry
1300–50; Middle English juelrie < Anglo-French juelerie, equivalent to juel jewel + -erie -ery
Explanation
Jewelry refers to an adornment (generally precious metal or stone) worn by a person, like a bracelet, ring, necklace, or earrings. Jewelry may be purely decorative, or it may express something — like a ring that says you are married. Humans have been in the jewelry business for a long time: A shell bracelet, or necklace was found in a cave in South Africa that dates back 75,000 years. Both a diamond ring from Tiffany’s and a handmade beaded bracelet are jewelry, but whether the jewel in jewelry is real or imitation, it is always spelled out. More than one piece of jewelry is still the same word.
Vocabulary lists containing jewelry
Commonly Misspelled Words, List 1
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In A Sedimental Mood: Rock and Gem Vocabulary
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List 8
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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.
The Templo Mayor Museum, which displays artifacts found at the site, reveals their genius for engineering, herbal medicine and astronomy, as well as their artistic skills, including stone sculptures, exquisite ceramics and delicate jewelry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
The Banana Republic Global segment provides clothing, eyewear, jewelry, shoes, handbags, and fragrances.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
The estate is also collaborating again with fashion designer Kendra Scott for a “9 to 5” jewelry collection.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
The mostly middle-aged crowd featured men in boat shoes and women with jewelry at an outdoor space where boats docked near the restaurant.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
Used paper she could draw on, empty ink jars, worn-down pen nubs she turned into jewelry.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
