jewellery
English
Alternative forms
- (US, sometimes Canada) jewelry
Etymology
From Middle English juelrye, from Old French juelerye, equivalent to jewel + -ry.
Pronunciation
- (UK, US) enPR: jo͞oʹəlrē, jo͞olʹrē IPA(key): /ˈdʒuːəlɹi/, /ˈdʒuːlɹi/
- (alternate UK pronunciation) enPR: jo͞oʹələrē, jo͞oʹlərē IPA(key): /ˈdʒuːələɹi/, /ˈdʒuːləɹi/ (this pronunciation gives rise to the Cockney rhyming slang tomfoolery)
Noun
jewellery (usually uncountable, plural jewelleries)
- (British spelling, Canadian) Collectively, personal ornamentation such as rings, necklaces, brooches and bracelets, made of precious metals and sometimes set with gemstones.
- 1905, Baroness Emmuska Orczy, chapter 1, in The Fate of the Artemis:
- “[…] Captain Markam had been found lying half-insensible, gagged and bound, on the floor of the sitting-room, his hands and feet tightly pinioned, and a woollen comforter wound closely round his mouth and neck ; whilst Mrs. Markham's jewel-case, containing valuable jewellery and the secret plans of Port Arthur, had disappeared. […]”
- She had more jewellery ornamented about her than any three ladies needed.
-
Synonyms
- tom (Cockney rhyming slang), tomfoolery (Cockney rhyming slang); see also Thesaurus:jewelry
Related terms
- jewel
- jeweler, jeweller
Translations
personal ornamentation
|
|