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.
Officers responded to a call Saturday night in Toluca Lake, where burglars are said to have gotten away with high-value items such as jewelry and cash.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026
EDC says that over time, jewelry demand is expected to regain its traditional role as the primary source of gold demand, while investment-driven volatility moderates.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
People have been lining up at Costco and Walmart to buy gold bars and digging through their jewelry boxes to turn keepsakes into cash.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
Josefina Baillères, a finalist in the jewelry category who took home the award later that night, wore a simple mesh tunic.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
I asked her whether it was another instance of jewelry theft—there had been lots of stories in the newspaper about that.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
