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US /d͡ʒul/ UK /ˈd͡ʒuːəl/
Freq #7263

Meanings

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · a precious stone,... gem
2 noun · a person or thing that is... gem
3 verb · to decorate something with... bejewel
Word family
Forms jewels
Derived forms bejeweleight-jewelenjeweljewel-babblerjewel-neckjewel-weedjewelcraftingjewelerjewelfishjewelfrontjewelhousejewelled

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Jewel originally meant an ornamental object worn for adornment and later narrowed to an ornament containing a precious stone or to the stone itself. It comes through French jeu, “game” or “play,” and may ultimately derive from Latin jocus, “jest.”

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.

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