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jewel

Syllabification: (jew·el)
Pronunciation: /ˈjo͞oəl/

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

noun

  • a precious stone, typically a single crystal or a piece of a hard lustrous or translucent mineral, cut into shape with flat facets or smoothed and polished for use as an ornament.
  • (usually jewels) an ornament or piece of jewelry containing precious stones.
  • a hard precious stone used as a bearing in a watch, compass, or other device.
  • a very pleasing or valued person or thing; a very fine example:she was a jewel of a nurse

Phrases

the jewel in the (or one's) crown

the most valuable or successful part of something:science is the brightest jewel in the crown of our civilization

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French joel, from jeu 'game, play', from Latin jocus 'jest'

jewel in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of jewel in the British & World English dictionary