gem
English
Etymology
From Middle English gemme, from Old English gim, gimm (“gem”) and Old French gemme (“gem”); both from Latin gemma (“a swelling bud; a jewel; gem”).
Pronunciation
Noun
gem (plural gems)
- A precious stone, usually of substantial monetary value or prized for its beauty or shine.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, London: William Ponsonbie, Book 1, Canto 10, p. 144,[1]
- c. 1602 William Shakespeare, All’s Well That Ends Well, Act V, Scene 3,[2]
- Of six preceding ancestors, that gem,
- Conferr’d by testament to the sequent issue,
- Hath it been owed and worn. This is his wife;
- That ring’s a thousand proofs.
- 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book 4, lines 647-649,[3]
- […] then silent Night
- With this her solemn Bird and this fair Moon,
- And these the Gemms of Heav’n, her starrie train:
- 2012 March, Lee A. Groat, “Gemstones”, in American Scientist[4], volume 100, number 2, page 128:
- Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are diamond, ruby and sapphire, emerald and other gem forms of the mineral beryl, chrysoberyl, tanzanite, tsavorite, topaz and jade.
- (figuratively) Any precious or highly valued thing or person.
- She's an absolute gem.
- 2017 January 20, Annie Zaleski, “AFI sounds refreshed and rejuvenated on its 10th album, AFI (The Blood Album)”, in The Onion AV Club[5]:
- Standout “Hidden Knives” is the kind of new wave-leaning punk gem John Hughes would’ve loved, while “So Beneath You” is a teeth-baring, roiling tune.
- Anything of small size, or expressed within brief limits, which is regarded as a gem on account of its beauty or value, such as a small picture, a verse of poetry, or an epigram.
- a gem of wit
- (obsolete) A gemma or leaf-bud.
- c. 1668 John Denham (translator), Of Old Age by Cato the Elder, Part 3, in Poems and Translations, with The Sophy, London: H. Herringman, 4th edition, 1773, p. 35,[6]
- Then from the Joynts of thy prolifick Stemm
- A swelling Knot is raised (call’d a Gemm)
- 1803, John Browne Cutting, “A Succinct History of Jamaica” in Robert Charles Dallas, The History of the Maroons, London: Longman and Rees, Volume 1, p. xcii,[7]
- In about twelve days the sprouts from the gems of the planted cane are seen […]
- c. 1668 John Denham (translator), Of Old Age by Cato the Elder, Part 3, in Poems and Translations, with The Sophy, London: H. Herringman, 4th edition, 1773, p. 35,[6]
- A type of geometrid moth, Orthonama obstipata.
- (computing) A package containing programs or libraries for the Ruby programming language.
- (uncountable, printing, uncommon, obsolete) A size of type between brilliant (4-point) and diamond (4½-point), running 222 lines to the foot.
Synonyms
- (precious stone): gemstone, jewel, precious stone; see also Thesaurus:gemstone
Derived terms
Translations
precious stone
|
precious or highly valued thing or person
|
obsolete: gemma — see gemma
type of geometrid moth
Verb
gem (third-person singular simple present gems, present participle gemming, simple past and past participle gemmed)
- (transitive) To adorn with, or as if with, gems.
- 1827, Various, The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction, Vol. 10,[8]:
- A few bright and beautiful stars gemmed the wide concave of heaven […] .
- 1872, J. Fenimore Cooper, The Bravo[9]:
- Above was the firmament, gemmed with worlds, and sublime in immensity.
- 1920, John Freeman, Poems New and Old[10]:
- The rain Shook from fruit bushes in new showers again As I brushed past, and gemmed the window pane.
Synonyms
See also
Anagrams
Cimbrian
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle High German geben, from Old High German geban, from Proto-Germanic *gebaną. Cognate with German geben, Dutch geven, obsolete English yive, Icelandic gefa.
Verb
gem (strong)
References
- Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien
Danish
Verb
gem
Meriam
Noun
gem
Romanian
Etymology 1
Noun
gem n (plural gemuri)
- jam (sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar)
Declension
Declension of gem
Etymology 2
Verb
gem
- first-person singular present indicative of geme
- first-person singular present subjunctive of geme
- third-person plural present indicative of geme
Swedish
Pronunciation
Noun
gem n
- a paper clip
- (tennis) a game; part of a set
Declension
Declension of gem | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Nominative | gem | gemet | gem | gemen |
Genitive | gems | gemets | gems | gemens |
References
Volapük
Etymology
Perhaps borrowed from French germain.
Pronunciation
Noun
gem (nominative plural gems)
- sibling
- 1949, "Lifajenäd brefik cifala: ‚Jakob Sprenger‛", in Volapükagased pro Nedänapükans, issue 4, 13-14.
- ‚Jakob‛ äbinom cil mälid se gems vel: blods lul e sörs tel.
- Jakob was the sixth child out of seven siblings: five brothers and two sisters.
- ‚Jakob‛ äbinom cil mälid se gems vel: blods lul e sörs tel.
- 1949, "Lifajenäd brefik cifala: ‚Jakob Sprenger‛", in Volapükagased pro Nedänapükans, issue 4, 13-14.
Declension
declension of gem
Hyponyms
Derived terms
Categories:
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 1-syllable words
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- Rhymes:English/ɛm
- English lemmas
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- en:Computing
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- en:Printing
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- English verbs
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- Cimbrian terms inherited from Middle High German
- Cimbrian terms derived from Middle High German
- Cimbrian terms inherited from Old High German
- Cimbrian terms derived from Old High German
- Cimbrian terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Cimbrian terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Cimbrian lemmas
- Cimbrian verbs
- Cimbrian strong verbs
- Luserna Cimbrian
- Danish non-lemma forms
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- Romanian lemmas
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- Swedish terms with IPA pronunciation
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- sv:Tennis
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- vo:Family