gem

C1 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /d͡ʒɛm/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like jamb /ɛ/ vs /æ/

Freq #9047

Meanings

1

noun
A precious or semiprecious stone that has been cut and polished, especially for jewellery.

The ring was set with a brilliant green gem.
2

noun
A person or thing that is especially valuable, excellent, or delightful.

This little café is a real gem.
3

verb
To decorate something with gems, or as if with gems.

Dew gemmed the grass in the early morning light.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a precious or semiprecious... gemstonejewelprecious stonestone

Word family

Forms gemmeousgems

Derived forms begemgem-cuttergem-diolgem-diolategem-hydrogenationgemcuttergemeraldgemfishgemlessgemlikegemmergemmery

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

gem cutter
a craftsperson who cuts and shapes precious stones

Noun + noun

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English gemme, gimme, yimme, ȝimme, from Old English ġimm, from Proto-West Germanic *gimmu (“gem”) and Old French gemme (“gem”), both from Latin gemma (“a swelling bud; jewel, gem”). Doublet of gemma and Gemma.

gemme Middle English ġimm Old English *gimmu Proto-West Germanic gemma Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# gem

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /d͡ʒɛm/
**Frequency rank:** 9047

## Meanings
1. A precious or semiprecious stone that has been cut and polished, especially for jewellery.
2. A person or thing that is especially valuable, excellent, or delightful.
3. To decorate something with gems, or as if with gems.

## Examples
- The ring was set with a brilliant green gem.
- This little café is a real gem.
- Dew gemmed the grass in the early morning light.

## Synonyms
- gemstone
- jewel

## Derived Forms
- begem
- gem-cutter
- gem-diol
- gem-diolate
- gem-hydrogenation
- gemcutter
- gemerald
- gemfish
- gemless
- gemlike
- gemmer
- gemmery

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: gemme
- Root: ġimm
- Root: *gimmu
- Root: gemma

## Etymology
Inherited from Middle English gemme, gimme, yimme, ȝimme, from Old English ġimm, from Proto-West Germanic *gimmu (“gem”) and Old French gemme (“gem”), both from Latin gemma (“a swelling bud; jewel, gem”). Doublet of gemma and Gemma.

## AI Etymology
Gem is inherited from Middle English gemme, gimme, yimme, ȝimme, from Old English ġimm, from Proto-West Germanic *gimmu (“gem”) and Old French gemme (“gem”), both from Latin gemma (“a swelling bud; jewel, gem”). Doublet of gemma and Gemma. Important historical forms include Middle English gemme, Old English ġimm, Proto-West Germanic *gimmu, Old French gemme, and Latin gemma. In present-day use, it can mean a precious or semiprecious stone that has been cut and polished, especially for jewellery, or a person or thing that is especially valuable, excellent, or delightful.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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gem