a cut and polished precious stone; gem.
a fashioned ornament for personal adornment, especially of a precious metal set with gems.
a precious possession.
a person or thing that is treasured, esteemed, or indispensable.
a durable bearing used in fine timepieces and other delicate instruments, made of natural or synthetic precious stone or other very hard material.
an ornamental boss of glass, sometimes cut with facets, in stained-glass work.
something resembling a jewel in appearance, ornamental effect, or the like, as a star.
a precious or semiprecious stone; gem
a person or thing resembling a jewel in preciousness, brilliance, etc
a gemstone, often synthetically produced, used as a bearing in a watch
a piece of jewellery
an ornamental glass boss, sometimes faceted, used in stained glasswork
the most valuable, esteemed, or successful person or thing of a number
who will be the jewel in the crown of English soccer?
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
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.
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GE’s aerospace franchise was called the crown jewel of the old GE, which is how Stephanie Link, Hightower’s chief investment strategist, describes Honeywell’s aerospace franchise today.
From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026
The firm, at one time considered the crown jewel of UK tech, was bought by Japanese company Softbank in 2016 before being listed in New York in 2023.
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026
CBS News was once the crown jewel of what used to be called the Tiffany network.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026
Arte Moreno has taken a crown jewel and turned it into a punch line.
From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026
Mr. Larsen cared for it until the car gleamed like a jewel and purred like a well-fed tiger.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
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.
