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gem

Pronunciation: /dʒɛm/

Translate gem | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of gem

noun

  • 1a precious or semi-precious stone, especially when cut and polished or engraved: a pagoda embellished with precious gems
  • used in names of some brilliantly coloured hummingbirds, e.g. mountain gem.
  • 2an outstanding person or thing:this architectural gem of a palace

verb (gems, gemming, gemmed)

[with object] (usually as adjective gemmed) literary
  • decorate with or as with gems: a gemmed necklace tiny drops of sweat gemmed his forehead

Derivatives

gem-like

adjective

gemmy

adjective

Origin:

Old English gim, from Latin gemma 'bud, jewel'; influenced in Middle English by Old French gemme

gem in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of gem in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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