• (RP) IPA: /ˈdʒuːəl/, /ˈdʒuːl/, /ˈdʒʊəl/
• (Canada, GA) IPA: /dʒul/, /ˈdʒu.əl/

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.
   • ante 1611, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Cymbeline, act I, scene vi, lines 188–9:

     Iachimo: 'Tis plate of rare device, and jewels / Of rich and exquisite form, their values great.

3. (figuratively) Anything precious or valuable.

   Galveston was the jewel of Texas prior to the hurricane.

   • c. 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, “The VVinters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act V, scene i]:

     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.

4. (horology) A 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. (slang) The clitoris.
   • 2008, Another Time, Another Place: Five Novellas

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

• See also Thesaurus:gemstone

• German: Edelstein, Juwel
• Italian: gemma
• Portuguese: joia, gema
• Russian: драгоце́нный ка́мень
• Spanish: gema, joya, alhaja

• French: joyau, bijou
• German: Schmuckstück
• Italian: gioello
• Portuguese: joia
• Russian: драгоце́нность
• Spanish: joya

• German: Juwel, Kleinod
• Portuguese: joia
• Russian: драгоце́нность
• Spanish: joya

• French: pierre d'horlogerie, rubis (colloquial), pierre, rubi
• German: Stein
• Portuguese: rubi (colloquial)
• Russian: ка́мень
• Spanish: rubí

jewel (jewels, present participle jewelling; past and past participle jewelled)

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

1. A female given name from the noun jewel, used since the end of the 19th century.
   • 1899 September – 1900 July​, Joseph Conrad, chapter XXVIII, in Lord Jim: A Tale, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, published 1900, OCLC 8754022 ↗, pages 297–298 ↗:

     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,’ …

   • 1922, F[rancis] Scott Fitzgerald, “Portrait of a Siren”, in The Beautiful and Damned, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, OCLC 916056193 ↗, book 1, pages 58–59 ↗:

     "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."

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