jewel

plural jewels

1. A precious or semi-precious stone; gem, gemstone.
2. 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.

   1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene vi], lines 188–9

3. figurativelyAnything precious or valuable.

   Galveston was the jewel of Texas prior to the hurricane.

   2 more examples

   Wel, wel (Meander) thou art deepely read: And hauing thee, I haue a iewell ſure: Go on my Lord, and giue your charge I ſay, Thy wit wil make vs Conquerors to day.

   c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene ii

   Had our prince,— Jewel of children,—seen this hour, he had pair'd Well with this lord: there was not full a month Between their births.

   c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]

4. hobbiesA bearing for a pivot in a watch, formed of a crystal or precious stone.
5. Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the genus Hypochrysops.
6. slangThe clitoris.

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

   2008, Another Time, Another Place: Five Novellas

7. informalA jewel box (optical disc container).

   As a collector, I prefer jewels to digipaks.

present singular third person jewels · US participle present jeweling · UK participle present jewelling · US participle past jeweled · US past jeweled · UK participle past jewelled · UK past jewelled

1. To bejewel; to decorate or bedeck with jewels or gems.

plural Jewels

1. A female given name from English from the noun jewel, used since the end of the 19th century.

   2 more examples

   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,’ …

   1899 September – 1900 July, Joseph Conrad, chapter XXVIII, in Lord Jim: A Tale, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, published 1900, →OCLC, pages 297–298

   "Of course Gladys and Eleanor, having graced the last generation of heroines and being at present in their social prime, will be passed on to the next generation of shopgirls——" / "Displacing Ella and Stella," interrupted Dick. / "And Pearl and Jewel,", Gloria added cordially, "and Earl and Elmer and Minnie." / "And then I'll come along," remarked Dick, "and picking up the obsolete name, Jewel, I'll attach it to some quaint and attractive character and it'll start its career all over again."

   1922, F[rancis] Scott Fitzgerald, “Portrait of a Siren”, in The Beautiful and Damned, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC, book 1, pages 58–59

2. A male given name from English, a variant of Jewell, or from "jewel" like the female name.