jewel
/ˈd͡ʒuəl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.68 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A precious or semi-precious stone; gem, gemstone.
noun
A valuable object used for personal ornamentation, especially one made of precious metals and stones; a piece of jewellery.
noun
Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the genus Hypochrysops.
Example Sentences
- "Iachimo: 'Tis plate of rare device, and jewels / Of rich and exquisite form, their values great."
- "Galveston was the jewel of Texas prior to the hurricane."
- "Wel, wel (Meander) thou art deepely read: And hauing thee, I haue a iewell ſure: Go on my Lord, and giue your charge I ſay, Thy wit wil make vs Conquerors to day."
- "Had our prince,— Jewel of children,—seen this hour, he had pair'd Well with this lord: there was not full a month Between their births."
- "The area between her eyebrows wrinkled with the increasing circular motions her two fingers made on her jewel."
- "As a collector, I prefer jewels to digipaks."
Etymology
From Middle English juel, jewel, juwel, jeuel, jowel, from Anglo-Norman juel, from Old French jouel, joel, joïel, hence French joyau, of uncertain origin. Perhaps based ultimately on Latin gaudium (“joy”), or on Latin iocus (“joke; jest”), or according to Pihan, from Arabic جَوْهَر (jawhar). Compare Medieval Latin jocale. Displaced native Old English māþm.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: juel, jouel, joyau, gaudium, iocus, جَوْهَر
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /d͡ʒul/
- British English: /ˈd͡ʒuːəl/
Usage
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in People.