a smooth, rounded bead formed within the shells of certain mollusks and composed of the mineral aragonite or calcite in a matrix, deposited in concentric layers as a protective coating around an irritating foreign object: valued as a gem when lustrous and finely colored.
something resembling a bead formed in the shells of certain mollusks, such as various synthetic substances for use in costume jewelry.
The pearls on this rosary are made of glass and protected by silver-plated double filigree caps.
something similar in form, luster, etc., to a bead formed in the shells of certain mollusks, such as a dewdrop or a capsule of medicine.
She wiped the pearls of sweat from her forehead.
something precious or choice; the finest example of anything.
An older couple offered us some pearls of wisdom about keeping a marriage healthy.
The pearl of the museum's collection is one of Van Gogh's paintings, but there are many other things worth seeing.
a very pale gray approaching white but commonly with a bluish tinge.
We wanted to paint the walls eggshell at first, but we ultimately decided on a cooler color and went with pearl.
mother-of-pearl (usually used in combination).
His collection includes a beautiful antique pearl-handled revolver.
Printing. a 5-point type.
Also called epithelial pearl. Pathology. a rounded mass of keratin occurring in certain carcinomas of the skin.
to adorn or stud with or as if with pearls.
The crown, newly pearled and gilded, shone in the candlelight.
to make like pearls, as in form or color.
Opalescent discs of abalone shell caught the light and pearled it back in many colors.
to dive, fish, or search for mollusks that produce beads within their shells.
While pearling near the coast, they discovered the remains of a centuries-old shipwreck.
to assume a pearllike form or appearance.
A tear pearled on her lashes.
resembling the gemstone produced by certain mollusks in form or color.
The dress is a lovely pearl gray.
of or relating to pearls.
If you really want to splurge, book a trip to go pearl diving in French Polynesia.
An eco-friendly pearl farming industry could decrease heavy metals in the water and bring economic benefits to this region.
set with a pearl or pearls, or covered or inlaid with pearls or mother-of-pearl.
She wore a navy blue suit and a pearl necklace.
having or reduced to small, rounded grains.
Pearl millet is a common crop of the region.
cast pearls before swine, to offer or give something of great value to those incapable of appreciating it.
She read them Shakespeare but it was casting pearls before swine.
pearls in your oysters, good luck to you (often used when parting or in thanks).
Well, I've got to go now—pearls in your oysters.
a town in central Mississippi.
a female given name.
a hard smooth lustrous typically rounded structure occurring on the inner surface of the shell of a clam or oyster: consists of calcium carbonate secreted in layers around an invading particle such as a sand grain; much valued as a gem
any artificial gem resembling this
See mother-of-pearl
a person or thing that is like a pearl, esp in beauty or value
a pale greyish-white colour, often with a bluish tinge
a size of printer's type, approximately equal to 5 point
of, made of, or set with pearl or mother-of-pearl
having the shape or colour of a pearl
(tr) to set with or as if with pearls
to shape into or assume a pearl-like form or colour
(intr) to dive or search for pearls
What does pearl mean? A pearl is a smooth, rounded bead formed inside the shells of certain mollusks, such as clams and oysters. Pearls are known for being used in jewelry, such as pearl necklaces and pearl earrings. Pearls vary in size and color. They are most commonly an iridescent, milky white, but they can be several other colors, including gray and even black. Although pearls are not stones, the pearl is one of the birthstones for the month of June, along with moonstone and alexandrite. It is associated with the zodiac signs Gemini and Cancer. The word pearl is sometimes used figuratively to refer to something precious or to the finest example of something, such as in the phrase pearls of wisdom. Pearl can also be a girl’s name. Example: My grandmother left me her pearl necklace, and I always wear it on special occasions.
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English perle, from Middle French, from Italian or assumed Vulgar Latin perla (unrecorded), from Latin pernula (unrecorded), from pern(a) “sea mussel,” also “ham, thigh” (compare Old English fiersn, Greek ptérnē, Sanskrit pā́rṣṇi “heel”) + -ula, feminine of -ulus -ule ( def. )
A pearl is a white, round gem formed inside an oyster or clam. Pearl can also refer to something that resembles the gem in color or shape, like a pearl of sweat that forms on your forehead when you're hot. Why is a pearl called a pearl? It isn't clear where the Medieval Latin word perla comes from. Some believe it refers to the shape of the shell in which pearls are found: either pear, like the shapely fruit, or perna, literally "ham," because the shell is shaped like a pig's leg.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In one, it sat on a tiny plate beside a chilled vermouth cocktail garnished with a pearl onion on a spear.
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026
His Bedouin ancestors earned great wealth pearl diving—until foreign farmed pearls tanked the market and left the local economy in shambles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
“This is not just some sort of reactionary NIMBY-ism or pearl clutching.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026
Neetu, a 28-year-old farmer, said she used the product on her pearl millet crop and cut urea application by about one-third without affecting yields.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
This was a calm, deliberate world, a world where dreams were real and each syllable held the light like a pearl.
From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett
Pearl Jam protested the practices of Columbia House, and the bum deal it gave artists, but made little headway as the club boomed to 16 million members in the 1990s.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
Desperate prime ministers in need of miracle solutions may be tempted to turn to Magic Symbols of the World written by Pearl Binder, donated by her husband Frederick Elwyn-Jones.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
The Mauritshuis will be closed from August 24 to September 20 for maintenance work and "Girl with a Pearl Earring" will be back on display at the Mauritshuis from early October.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
James Wilson, co-host of the Srsly Risky Biz podcast, likened the attacks to an “endless amount of cyber mosquitoes,” as opposed to a “cyber Pearl Harbor.”
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
“I see no reason to study geography,” Pearl said firmly, “no reason in the world.”
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
He debuted the offbeat experimental musical in fishnets and pearls in 1973 on the tiny stage upstairs at the Royal Court Theater in London, where it first became an underground sensation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Dolly Parton, the much-loved US singer-songwriter who has died at the age of 80, was known for her pearls of wisdom and humour as well as her music.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
And I’ll make my financial case for how I justified writing a lump-sum check to a travel agency so large that I could picture my bank account clutching its proverbial pearls.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
Rather, the book shares lessons she’s taken from years of therapy in the form of well-dressed animals dropping pearls of compassionate wisdom.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026
Since it was Sunday morning, I was wearing a church dress heavy with lace and fake pearls.
From "Hurricane Child" by Kheryn Callender
The discovery echoes others: Watanabe had noticed similar pearled axons in roundworms in 2013 but didn’t investigate further, and Burkhardt recently saw them in comb jellies.
From Science Magazine ● Dec. 2, 2024
I got more crystals that I could attach to the pearled bib.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2023
It starts by simmering pearled farro with fresh apple cider, bay leaves and salt in a saucepan.
From Salon ● Feb. 6, 2022
I fled to far frontiers Where bare ice pearled; That suited me fine — Of all the cryospheres In all the world, She walks into mine.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 30, 2020
Like his mother, he was pearled with damp, and he shook his woollen hat over the stove to make the drops jump and spit.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
In the late 19th century, Tamara Surani Fernando notes in “Shallow Blue Empire,” this problem of yield confronted the British, who oversaw the trade of three important pearling sites in the Indian Ocean.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Fishery inspectors relied on local pearling leaders and divers to fill in cartographic blanks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Their work points to a process called "mitochondrial pearling," which had previously received little attention.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 13, 2026
The researchers also explored what drives and regulates pearling.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 13, 2026
Your friends at home would hardly recognise you," he said to Jack, who was as brown as a berry, "but you look in splendid condition, and pearling evidently agrees with you.
From The Second String by Nat Gould
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.
