necklace

American  

[nek-lis] / ˈnɛk lɪs /

noun

1. a piece of jewelry consisting of a string of stones, beads, jewels, or the like, or a chain of gold, silver, or other metal, for wearing around the neck.

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necklace British  

/ ˈnɛklɪs /

noun

1. a chain, band, or cord, often bearing beads, pearls, jewels, etc, worn around the neck as an ornament, esp by women

2. (in South Africa) a tyre soaked in petrol, placed round a person's neck, and set on fire in order to burn the person to death

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verb

1. (tr) to kill (someone) by placing a burning tyre round his or her neck

Etymology

Origin of necklace

1580–90; neck + lace (in the sense “a cord or string to pull opposite ends together”)

Example Sentences

A necklace made from a crinoid fossil stem.

From Los Angeles Times

Instead, her family says, thieves drove off with a gold necklace that was priceless to her because it carried the ashes of her late daughter.

From Los Angeles Times

A necklace sold on Shein had 8,500 times the legal limit of cadmium, a toxic metal, they found.

From The Wall Street Journal

Joshua remained composed throughout before eventually smiling and playfully grabbing Paul's necklace.

From BBC

Pendants that clip to necklaces, pins, glasses, bracelets—I’ve tried ’em all.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• choker
• jewelry
• pendant
• strand