Jewel
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 A precious or semi-precious stone; gem, gemstone.
- 2 a precious or semiprecious stone incorporated into a piece of jewelry wordnet
- 3 A valuable object used for personal ornamentation, especially one made of precious metals and stones; a piece of jewellery.
"Iachimo: 'Tis plate of rare device, and jewels / Of rich and exquisite form, their values great."
- 4 a person who is as brilliant and precious as a piece of jewelry wordnet
- 5 Anything precious or valuable. figuratively
"Galveston was the jewel of Texas prior to the hurricane."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 A bearing for a pivot in a watch, formed of a crystal or precious stone.
- 7 Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the genus Hypochrysops.
- 8 The clitoris. slang
"The area between her eyebrows wrinkled with the increasing circular motions her two fingers made on her jewel."
- 1 To bejewel; to decorate or bedeck with jewels or gems.
- 2 adorn or decorate with precious stones wordnet
- 1 A female given name from English from the noun jewel, used since the end of the 19th century.
"Jewel he called her; and he would say this as he might have said ‘Jane,’ don’t you know, with a marital, homelike, peaceful effect. I heard the name for the first time ten minutes after I had landed in his courtyard, when, after nearly shaking my arm off, he darted up the steps and began to make a joyous, boyish disturbance at the door under the heavy eaves. ‘Jewel! O! Jewel. Quick! Here’s a friend come,’ …"
- 2 A male given name from English, a variant of Jewell, or from "jewel" like the female name.
Example
More examples"The jewel was stolen during the night."
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.
From jewel.
Related phrases
More for "jewel"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.