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.
“Retailers selling everything from jewelry to makeup beat analysts’ first-quarter earnings forecasts,” she said.
From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026
Everywhere, in every city in the world, there are high-end jewelry stores selling gorgeous pieces, and yet you never seem to see anyone wearing them.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 3, 2026
“It’s about more than just the jewelry, it’s the brand,” she told the Wall Street Journal in 2022.
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026
Miss Becky was wearing clothes and jewelry Hill had borrowed from Dillard’s for the occasion.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 2026
While his mother was still looking for the last of her jewelry, he had scampered away to the kitchen and spelled NO on the refrigerator.
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
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.
