Other forms: jewels
A jewel is a precious stone, cut to sparkle. A rare jewel, crown jewels, jewel thief.
In a mechanical watch, jewels are synthetic rubies used as bearings because they are hard and smooth — the number on the dial counts them. Figuratively the jewel in the crown is the finest part of a collection. Note that the origin of the word is uncertain, perhaps from the Latin for joy.
1nounjewelA precious stone cut to sparkle.
“She kept her rings and other jewels locked in a small box.”
2nounhardA hard bearing in a watch.
“A movement with roughly twenty-one jewels.”
jewel is a precious stone.
Also accepted in games: gem, gemstone
Old French jouel is of uncertain origin, perhaps from Latin gaudium, joy, or from jocus, a jest.
Middle English
juel
English, today
jewel
From Middle English juel. From Middle English juel, jewel, juwel, jeuel, jowel, from Anglo-Norman juel, from Old French jouel, joel, joiel, 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. Compare Medieval Latin jocale. Displaced native Old English māþm.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA