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jew·el

(jəl)

a. A precious stone; a gem.

b. A small natural or artificial gem used as a bearing in a watch.

2. A costly ornament of precious metal or gems.

3. One that is treasured or esteemed.

tr.v. jew·eled, jew·el·ing, jew·els or jew·elled or jew·el·ling

1. To adorn with jewels.

2. To fit with jewels.

[Middle English juel, from Anglo-Norman, perhaps from Vulgar Latin *iocāle, from neuter of *iocālis, of play, from Latin iocus, joke; see yek- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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