jewel

jewel · noun, verb¹

1. Arabic · derived fromجَوْهَر
2. Latin · derived fromiocus“joke; jest”
3. Latin · derived fromgaudium“joy”
4. French · derived fromjoyau
5. Old French · derived fromjouel
6. Anglo-Norman · derived fromjuel
7. Middle English · inherited fromjuel
8. English todayjewel

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. Displaced native Old English māþm.

Jewel · proper noun²

From jewel.

Words from the same roots