Adjacent Words

Pearl definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PEARL, n. perl.
1. A white, hard, smooth, shining body, usually roundish, found in a testaceous fish of the oyster kind. The pearl-shell is called matrix perlarum, mother of pearl, and the pearl is found only in the softer part of the animal. It is found in the Persian seas and in many parts of the ocean which washes the shores of Arabia and the continent and isles of Asia, and is taken by divers. Pearls are of different sizes and colors; the larger ones approach to the figure of a pear; some have been found more than an inch in length. They are valued according to their size, their roundness, and their luster or purity, which appears in a silvery brightness.
2. Poetically, something round and clear, as a drop of water or dew.
3. A white speck of film growing on the eye.
PEARL,v.t. perl. To set or adorn with pearls.
PEARL, v.i. perl. To resemble pearls.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam or oyster; much valued as a jewel
2: a shade of white the color of bleached bones [syn: bone, ivory, pearl, off-white]
3: a shape that is spherical and small; "he studied the shapes of low-viscosity drops"; "beads of sweat on his forehead" [syn: drop, bead, pearl] v
1: gather pearls, from oysters in the ocean

Merriam Webster's

geographical name 1. river about 410 miles (660 kilometers) S Mississippi flowing S into Gulf of Mexico 2. — see Zhu

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English perle, from Anglo-French, probably from Vulgar Latin *pernula, diminutive of Latin perna upper leg, kind of sea mussel; akin to Old English fiersn heel, Greek ptern? Date: 14th century 1. a. a dense variously colored and usually lustrous concretion formed of concentric layers of nacre as an abnormal growth within the shell of some mollusks and used as a gem b. mother-of-pearl 2. one that is very choice or precious 3. something resembling a pearl intrinsically or physically 4. a nearly neutral slightly bluish medium gray II. verb Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. to set or adorn with pearls 2. to sprinkle or bead with pearly drops 3. to form into small round grains 4. to give a pearly color or luster to intransitive verb 1. to form drops or beads like pearls 2. to fish or search for pearls • pearler noun III. adjective Date: 1610 1. a. of, relating to, or resembling pearl b. made of or adorned with pearls 2. having medium-sized grains <pearl barley> IV. noun or transitive verb Etymology: alteration of purl Date: 1824 British picot

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. 1 a (often attrib.) a usu. white or bluish-grey hard mass formed within the shell of a pearl-oyster or other bivalve mollusc, highly prized as a gem for its lustre (pearl necklace). b an imitation of this. c (in pl.) a necklace of pearls. d = mother-of-pearl (cf. seed-pearl). 2 a precious thing; the finest example. 3 anything resembling a pearl, e.g. a dewdrop, tear, etc. --v. 1 tr. poet. a sprinkle with pearly drops. b make pearly in colour etc. 2 tr. reduce (barley etc.) to small rounded grains. 3 intr. fish for pearl-oysters. 4 intr. poet. form pearl-like drops. Phrases and idioms: cast pearls before swine offer a treasure to a person unable to appreciate it. pearl ash commercial potassium carbonate. pearl barley barley reduced to small round grains by grinding. pearl bulb a translucent electric light bulb. pearl button a button made of mother-of-pearl or an imitation of it. pearl-diver a person who dives for pearl-oysters. pearl millet a tall cereal, Pennisetum typhoides. pearl onion a very small onion used in pickles. pearl-oyster any of various marine bivalve molluscs of the genus Pinctada, bearing pearls. Derivatives: pearler n. Etymology: ME f. OF perle prob. f. L perna leg (applied to leg-of-mutton-shaped bivalve) 2. n. Brit. = PICOT. Etymology: var. of PURL(1)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stitch Stitch, n. [OE. stiche, AS. stice a pricking, akin to stician to prick. See Stick, v. i.] 1. A single pass of a needle in sewing; the loop or turn of the thread thus made. 2. A single turn of the thread round a needle in knitting; a link, or loop, of yarn; as, to let down, or drop, a stitch; to take up a stitch. 3. [Cf. OE. sticche, stecche, stucche, a piece, AS. stycce. Cf. Stock.] A space of work taken up, or gone over, in a single pass of the needle; hence, by extension, any space passed over; distance. You have gone a good stitch. --Bunyan. In Syria the husbandmen go lightly over with their plow, and take no deep stitch in making their furrows. --Holland. 4. A local sharp pain; an acute pain, like the piercing of a needle; as, a stitch in the side. He was taken with a cold and with stitches, which was, indeed, a pleurisy. --Bp. Burnet. 5. A contortion, or twist. [Obs.] If you talk, Or pull your face into a stitch again, I shall be angry. --Marston. 6. Any least part of a fabric or dress; as, to wet every stitch of clothes. [Colloq.] 7. A furrow. --Chapman. Chain stitch, Lock stitch. See in the Vocabulary. Pearl, or Purl stitch. See 2nd Purl, 2.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Pearl Pearl, n. A fringe or border. [Obs.] -- v. t. To fringe; to border. [Obs.] See Purl. Pearl stitch. See Purl stitch, under Purl.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Pearl Pearl, n. [OE. perle, F. perle, LL. perla, perula, probably fr. (assumed) L. pirulo, dim. of L. pirum a pear. See Pear, and cf. Purl to mantle.] 1. (Zo["o]l.) 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. 2. Hence, figuratively, something resembling a pearl; something very precious. I see thee compassed with thy kingdom's pearl. --Shak. And those pearls of dew she wears. --Milton. 3. Nacre, or mother-of-pearl. 4. (Zo["o]l.) A fish allied to the turbot; the brill. 5. (Zo["o]l.) A light-colored tern. 6. (Zo["o]l.) One of the circle of tubercles which form the bur on a deer's antler. 7. A whitish speck or film on the eye. [Obs.] --Milton. 8. A capsule of gelatin or similar substance containing some liquid for medicinal application, as ether. 9. (Print.) A size of type, between agate and diamond. [hand] This line is printed in the type called pearl. Ground pearl. (Zo["o]l.) See under Ground. Pearl barley, kernels of barley, ground so as to form small, round grains. Pearl diver, one who dives for pearl oysters. Pearl edge, an edge of small loops on the side of some kinds of ribbon; also, a narrow kind of thread edging to be sewed on lace. Pearl eye, cataract. [R.] Pearl gray, a very pale and delicate blue-gray color. Pearl millet, Egyptian millet (Penicillaria spicata). Pearl moss. See Carrageen. Pearl moth (Zo["o]l.), any moth of the genus Margaritia; -- so called on account of its pearly color. Pearl oyster (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of large tropical marine bivalve mollusks of the genus Meleagrina, or Margaritifera, found in the East Indies (especially at Ceylon), in the Persian Gulf, on the coast of Australia, and on the Pacific coast of America. Called also pearl shell, and pearl mussel. Pearl powder. See Pearl white, below. Pearl sago, sago in the form of small pearly grains. Pearl sinter (Min.), fiorite. Pearl spar (Min.), a crystallized variety of dolomite, having a pearly luster. Pearl white. (a) Basic bismuth nitrate, or bismuth subchloride; -- used chiefly as a cosmetic. (b) A variety of white lead blued with indigo or Berlin blue.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Pearl Pearl, a. Of or pertaining to pearl or pearls; made of pearls, or of mother-of-pearl.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Pearl Pearl, v. t. 1. To set or adorn with pearls, or with mother-of-pearl. Used also figuratively. 2. To cause to resemble pearls; to make into small round grains; as, to pearl barley.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Pearl Pearl, v. i. 1. To resemble pearl or pearls. 2. To give or hunt for pearls; as, to go pearling.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Brill Brill, n. [Cf. Corn. brilli mackerel, fr. brith streaked, speckled.] (Zo["o]l.) A fish allied to the turbot (Rhombus levis), much esteemed in England for food; -- called also bret, pearl, prill. See Bret.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(pearls) 1. A pearl is a hard round object which is shiny and creamy white in colour. Pearls grow inside the shell of an oyster and are used for making expensive jewellery. She wore a string of pearls at her throat... N-COUNT see also mother-of-pearl 2. Pearl is used to describe something which looks like a pearl. ...tiny pearl buttons. ADJ: usu ADJ n

Easton's Bible Dictionary

(Heb. gabish, Job 28:18; Gr. margarites, Matt. 7:6; 13:46; Rev. 21:21). The pearl oyster is found in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. Its shell is the "mother of pearl," which is of great value for ornamental purposes (1 Tim. 2:9; Rev. 17:4). Each shell contains eight or ten pearls of various sizes.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

purl.

See STONES, PRECIOUS.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Margarite. 2. Jewel, gem. 3. Drop, tear.

Foolish Dictionary

A small round product manufactured by an oyster, bought by a lobster and worn by a butterfly.

Moby Thesaurus

Quaker-colored, acceptable person, acier, alabaster, alabastrine, albescent, ashen, ashy, bead, boast, canescent, capital fellow, catch, chalk, cinereous, cinerous, cream, creamy, dapple, dapple-gray, dappled, dappled-gray, dewdrop, diamond, dingy, dismal, dove-colored, dove-gray, dreary, driven snow, drop, droplet, dull, dun-white, dusty, eggshell, fair, find, fleece, flour, flower, foam, gem, gentleman, glaucescent, glaucous, godsend, good fellow, good lot, good man, good person, good sort, good thing, good woman, gray, gray-black, gray-brown, gray-colored, gray-drab, gray-green, gray-spotted, gray-toned, gray-white, grayed, grayish, griseous, grizzle, grizzled, grizzly, honest man, iron-gray, ivory, ivory-white, jewel, lady, lead-gray, leaden, light, lily, lint-white, livid, maggot, mensch, milk, mouse-colored, mouse-gray, mousy, nonpareil, off-white, pale, paper, pearl-gray, pearly, pearly-white, perfect gentleman, perfect lady, persona grata, plum, pride, pride and joy, prince, prize, raindrop, real man, right sort, rough diamond, sad, sheet, silver, silver-gray, silvered, silvery, slate-colored, slaty, smoke-gray, smoky, snow, sober, somber, steel-gray, steely, stone-colored, swan, taupe, teardrop, treasure, trophy, trouvaille, whitish, whity, windfall, winner, wonder, worthy