jewel

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   adorn or decorate with precious stones

   jeweled dresses

2. 2
   noun

   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.

3. 3
   noun

   Anything precious or valuable.

   Galveston was the jewel of Texas prior to the hurricane.

4. 4
   noun

   The clitoris.

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

5. 5
   noun

   A jewel box (optical disc container).

   As a collector, I prefer jewels to digipaks.

6. 6
   name

   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,’ …

7. 7
   noun

   a precious or semiprecious stone incorporated into a piece of jewelry

8. 8
   noun

   a person who is as brilliant and precious as a piece of jewelry

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.