Definitions of pearl [ɜrl]

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Definition of 'pearl'

Random House Webster's College Dictionary

1. (n.) pearl
a smooth, rounded bead, composed chiefly of aragonite, formed around an irritating foreign body within the shells of oysters and other mollusks: valued as a gem when lustrous and finely colored.

2.  pearl
something resembling this, as various synthetic substances used in costume jewelry.

3.  pearl
something similar in form or luster.

4.  pearl
something precious or choice:
pearls of wisdom.

5.  pearl
a very pale gray, often with a bluish tinge.

6.  pearl
a 5-point type.

7. (v.t.) pearl
to adorn with or as if with pearls.

8.  pearl
to make like a pearl, as in form or color.

9. (v.i.) pearl
to dive or search for pearls.

10.  pearl
to assume a pearllike form or appearance.

11. (adj.) pearl
of or resembling a pearl.

12.  pearl
set or adorned with or consisting of pearls or mother-of-pearl.

13.  pearl
having or reduced to small, round grains.

Etymology: (1300–50; ME perle < MF < It or VL *perla (&whence; G Perle, OE pærl), for L *pernula, dim. of perna sea mussel)

Definition of 'pearl'

Princeton's WordNet

1. (noun) pearl
a smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam or oyster; much valued as a jewel

2. (noun) bone, ivory, pearl, off-white
a shade of white the color of bleached bones

3. (verb) drop, bead, pearl
a shape that is spherical and small
"he studied the shapes of low-viscosity drops"; "beads of sweat on his forehead"

4. (verb) pearl
gather pearls, from oysters in the ocean

Definition of 'pearl'

Kernerman English Learner’s Dictionary

1. (noun) pearl
a small white round jewel
a pearl necklace

Definition of 'pearl'

Webster Dictionary

1. (adj) pearl
of or pertaining to pearl or pearls; made of pearls, or of mother-of-pearl

2. (noun) pearl
a fringe or border

3. (noun) pearl
a shelly concretion, usually rounded, and having a brilliant luster, with varying tints, found in the mantle, or between the mantle and shell, of certain bivalve mollusks, especially in the pearl oysters and river mussels, and sometimes in certain univalves. It is usually due to a secretion of shelly substance around some irritating foreign particle. Its substance is the same as nacre, or mother-of-pearl. Pearls which are round, or nearly round, and of fine luster, are highly esteemed as jewels, and compare in value with the precious stones

4. (noun) pearl
hence, figuratively, something resembling a pearl; something very precious

5. (noun) pearl
nacre, or mother-of-pearl

6. (noun) pearl
a fish allied to the turbot; the brill

7. (noun) pearl
a light-colored tern

8. (noun) pearl
one of the circle of tubercles which form the bur on a deer's antler

9. (noun) pearl
a whitish speck or film on the eye

10. (noun) pearl
a capsule of gelatin or similar substance containing some liquid for medicinal application, as ether

11. (noun) pearl
a size of type, between agate and diamond

12. pearl
to fringe; to border

13. (verb) pearl
to set or adorn with pearls, or with mother-of-pearl. Used also figuratively

14. (verb) pearl
to cause to resemble pearls; to make into small round grains; as, to pearl barley

15. (verb) pearl
to resemble pearl or pearls

16. (verb) pearl
to give or hunt for pearls; as, to go pearling

Translation of 'pearl'

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary

Sense: a valuable, hard, round object formed by oysters and several other shellfish The necklace consists of three strings of pearls; (
Afrikaans: pêrel	Arabic: لُؤْلُؤَه	Bulgarian: бисер
Brazilian: pérola	Czech: perla; perlový	German: die Perle; Perlen-...
Danish: perle; perle-	Greek: μαργαριτάρι	Spanish: perla
Estonian: pärl	Farsi: مروارید	Finnish: helmi
French: (de) perle (s)	Hebrew: פְּנִינָה	Hindi: मोती
Croatian: biser, sedef	Hungarian: gyöngy	Indonesian: mutiara
Icelandic: perla	Italian: perla; di perle	Japanese: 真珠
Korean: 진주	Lithuanian: perlas	Latvian: pērle
Malay: mutiara	Dutch: parel	Norwegian: perle
Polish: perła	Persian: مروارید	Pashto: ملغلرې
Portuguese: pérola	Romanian: perlă; de perle	Russian: жемчуг
Slovak: perla; perlový	Slovenian: biser; biseren	Serbian: biser
Swedish: pärla	Thai: ไข่มุก	Turkish: inci
Taiwanese: 珍珠	Ukrainian: перлина	Urdu: موتي، لؤلو
Vietnamese: ngọc trai	Chinese: 珍珠
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