jewel

See also: Jewel

English

A jewel.

Etymology

From Middle English juel, jewel, juwel, jeuel, jowel, from Anglo-Norman juel, from Old French jouel, joel, joiel, of uncertain origin. Perhaps based ultimately on Latin gaudium (“joy”), or on Latin iocus (“joke; jest”). Compare Medieval Latin jocale.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdʒuːəl/, /ˈdʒuːl/, /ˈdʒʊəl/
• IPA^(key): /dʒul/, /ˈdʒu.əl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːl, -ʊəl
• Homophone: joule

Noun

jewel (plural jewels)

1. A precious or semi-precious stone; gem, gemstone.
2. A valuable object used for personal ornamentation, especially one made of precious metals and stones; a piece of jewellery.
   • ante 1611, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Cymbeline, act I, scene vi, lines 188–9:

     Iachimo: 'Tis plate of rare device, and jewels / Of rich and exquisite form, their values great.

3. (figuratively) Anything considered precious or valuable.

   Galveston was the jewel of Texas prior to the hurricane.

   • c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:

     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.

4. A bearing for a pivot in a watch, formed of a crystal or precious stone.
5. Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the genus .
6. (slang) The clitoris.
   • 2008, Another Time, Another Place: Five Novellas

     The area between her eyebrows wrinkled with the increasing circular motions her two fingers made on her jewel.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:gemstone

Derived terms

Derived terms

• bejewel
• crown jewel
• jewel in the crown

• jeweler, jeweller
• jewelled
• jewellery, jewelry

Translations

gemstone

• Arabic: جَوْهَر (ar) m (jawhar), جَوْهَرَة‎ f (jawhara) (singulative)

  Egyptian Arabic: جوهر m (gōhar), ماسة f (masa), فص m (faṣ), حجر كريم m (ḥagar karim)

• Belarusian: кашто́ўны ка́мень m (kaštóŭny kámjenʹ), самацве́т m (samacvjét)
• Bulgarian: скъпоце́нен ка́мък m (skǎpocénen kámǎk)
• Burmese: ရတနာ (my) (ra.ta.na)
• Catalan: gemma (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 寶石／宝石 (zh) (bǎoshí), 宝石 (zh) (bǎoshí)

• Czech: klenot m, drahokam (cs) m
• Dutch: juweel (nl) n
• Estonian: kalliskivi
• Finnish: jalokivi (fi), korukivi (fi) (semiprecious)
• Galician: xoia (gl) f
• Georgian: ძვირფასი ქვა (ʒvirpasi kva), პატიოსანი თვალი (ṗaṭiosani tvali)
• German: Edelstein (de) m, Juwel (de) n or m
• Greek: πετράδι (el) n (petrádi), πολύτιμος λίθος (el) m (polýtimos líthos)
• Hindi: मणि (hi) m (maṇi), रत्न (hi) m (ratna), पत्थर (hi) m (patthar)
• Irish: seoid f
• Italian: gemma (it) f
• Japanese: 宝石 (ja) (ほうせき, hōseki)
• Khmer: ត្បូង (km) (tboung), មណី (km) (mĕəʼnii)
• Korean: 보석 (ko) (boseok) (寶石 (ko))
• Lao: ພອຽ (phǭi), ມະນີ (ma nī), ຣະຕະນະ (ra ta na)
• Latin: gemma f
• Latvian: dārgakmens m
• Lithuanian: brangakmenis m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Macedonian: скапоцен камен m (skapocen kamen)
• Marathi: रत्न (ratna)
• Pashto: غمی (ps) m (ǧamáy)
• Persian: گوهر (fa) (gowhar)
• Polish: klejnot (pl) m, kamień szlachetny (pl) m
• Portuguese: joia (pt) f, gema (pt) f
• Romanian: nestemată (ro) f, nestemate f pl, pietre scumpe f pl
• Russian: драгоце́нный ка́мень (ru) m (dragocénnyj kámenʹ), самоцве́т (ru) m (samocvét)
• Sanskrit: मणि (sa) m (maṇi)
• Scottish Gaelic: seud m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: драгуљ m

  Roman: dragulj (sh) m

• Slovak: klenot m, drahokam m
• Slovene: dragulj (sl) m
• Spanish: gema (es) f, joya (es) f, alhaja (es) f
• Swahili: johari class 9/10
• Swedish: juvel (sv) c, ädelsten (sv) c
• Thai: พลอย (th) (plɔɔi), จินดา (jin-daa), รัตน์ (th) (rát)
• Tocharian A: wmār
• Tocharian B: wamer
• Turkish: mücevher (tr)
• Ukrainian: дорогоці́нний ка́мінь m (dorohocínnyj káminʹ), кошто́вний ка́мінь m (koštóvnyj káminʹ), самоцві́т m (samocvít)
• Vietnamese: đá quý
• Welsh: tlws (cy) m, tlysau m pl

valuable object for ornamentation

• Bulgarian: драгоце́нност (bg) f (dragocénnost)
• Catalan: joia (ca) f
• Czech: šperk (cs) m, klenot m
• Dutch: sieraad (nl) n
• Esperanto: juvelo
• Finnish: koru (fi)
• French: joyau (fr) m, bijou (fr)
• Georgian: ძვირფასეულობა (ʒvirpaseuloba), ძვირფასი ნივთი (ʒvirpasi nivti)
• German: Schmuckstück (de) n
• Greek: κόσμημα (el) n (kósmima)
• Hungarian: ékszer (hu)
• Ido: juvelo (io)
• Irish: seoid f
• Italian: gioello m
• Japanese: 宝飾 (hōshoku)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Pashto: ګاڼه f (gānna)
• Persian: زیور (fa) (zivar)
• Polish: klejnot (pl) m
• Portuguese: joia (pt) f
• Romanian: bijuterie (ro) f, bijuterii f pl, giuvaeruri n pl
• Russian: драгоце́нность (ru) f (dragocénnostʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: seud m, àilleag m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: драгоценост f

  Roman: dragocenost (sh) f

• Slovak: klenot m
• Spanish: joya (es) f
• Swahili: johari class 9/10
• Tamil: நகை (ta) (nakai), ஆபரணம் (ta) (āparaṇam)

anything considered precious or valuable

• Czech: klenot m
• Finnish: helmi (fi)
• Georgian: ძვირფასეულობა (ʒvirpaseuloba), განძი (ganʒi)
• German: Juwel (de) n or m, Kleinod (de) n
• Greek: κόσμημα (el) n (kósmima)
• Irish: seoid f
• Japanese: 宝 (ja) (takara)
• Latvian: dārgums m
• Lithuanian: brangenybė
• Marathi: रत्न (ratna)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Pashto: ګران m (grān)
• Polish: skarb (pl) m, perła (pl) f, klejnot (pl) m
• Portuguese: joia (pt) f
• Russian: драгоце́нность (ru) f (dragocénnostʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: àilleag m
• Spanish: joya (es) f
• Swahili: johari class 9/10
• Swedish: juvel (sv)

bearing for a pivot in watch

• Finnish: kivi (fi)
• French: pierre d’horlogerie f, rubis (fr) m (colloquial), pierre (fr), rubi (fr)
• German: Stein (de) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: rubi (pt) m (colloquial)
• Spanish: rubí (es) m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} permata (id), ^{(please verify)} jauhar (id), ^{(please verify)} ratna (id)
• Nahuatl: ^{(please verify)} cozcapantica
• Old English: ^{(please verify)} siġel n
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} giuvaier (ro) n
• Welsh: ^{(please verify)} gem (cy), ^{(please verify)} tlws (cy) m

Verb

jewel (third-person singular simple present jewels, present participle jewelling or jeweling, simple past and past participle jewelled or jeweled)

1. To bejewel; to decorate or bedeck with jewels or gems.

Translations

decorate or bedeck with jewels or gems — see bejewel

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Middle English

Noun

jewel

1. Alternative form of juel