pearl

[pearl]

A pearl is a white, round gem formed inside an oyster or clam. Pearl can also refer to something that resembles the gem in color or shape, like a pearl of sweat that forms on your forehead when you're hot.

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A fringe or border.

Noun
a shade of white the color of bleached bones

Noun
a smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam or oyster; much valued as a jewel

Noun
a shape that is small and round; "he studied the shapes of low-viscosity drops"; "beads of sweat on his forehead"

Verb
gather pearls, from oysters in the ocean

n.
A fringe or border.

v. t.
To fringe; to border.

n.
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.

n.
Hence, figuratively, something resembling a pearl; something very precious.

n.
Nacre, or mother-of-pearl.

n.
A fish allied to the turbot; the brill.

n.
A light-colored tern.

n.
One of the circle of tubercles which form the bur on a deer's antler.

n.
A whitish speck or film on the eye.

n.
A capsule of gelatin or similar substance containing some liquid for medicinal application, as ether.

n.
A size of type, between agate and diamond.

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

v. t.
To set or adorn with pearls, or with mother-of-pearl. Used also figuratively.

v. t.
To cause to resemble pearls; to make into small round grains; as, to pearl barley.

v. i.
To resemble pearl or pearls.

v. i.
To give or hunt for pearls; as, to go pearling.

Pearl

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

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'94l.) 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.

And those pearls of dew she wears.

3. Nacre, or mother-of-pearl. 4. (Zo'94l.) A fish allied to the turbot; the brill. 5. (Zo'94l.) A light-colored tern. 6. (Zo'94l.) 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. 'b5 This line is printed in the type called pearl. Ground pearl. (Zo'94l.) 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'94l.), any moth of the genus Margaritia; -- so called on account of its pearly color. -- Pearl oyster (Zo'94l.), 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 , fiorite. -- Pearl spar , 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.

Pearl

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

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.

Pearl

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

A fringe or border.

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.

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

To set or adorn with pearls, or with mother-of-pearl. Used also figuratively.

To resemble pearl or pearls.

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Usage Examples

Everybody knows about Pearl Harbor. The thing that really fascinated me is that through this tragedy there was this amazing American heroism.

All art is autobiographical. The pearl is the oyster's autobiography.

With Pearl Jam, everybody is so good at what they do, it's hard to get up the courage to say, Can I sing this part, or, I want to play guitar. I feel like I have more courage to do that.

All great enterprises have a pearl of faith at their core, and this must be ours: that Americans are still a people born to liberty. That they retain the capacity for self-government. That, addressed as free-born, autonomous men and women of God-given dignity, they will rise yet again to drive back a mortal enemy.

My office walls are covered with autographs of famous writers - it's what my children call my 'dead author wall.' I have signatures from Mark Twain, Earnest Hemingway, Jack London, Harriett Beecher Stowe, Pearl Buck, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, to name a few.

Real friendship, like real poetry, is extremely rare - and precious as a pearl.

Pearl Harbor caused our Nation to wholeheartedly commit to winning World War II, changing the course of our Nation's history and the world's future.

Misspelled Form

pearl, opearl, 0pearl, lpearl, oearl, 0earl, learl, poearl, p0earl, plearl, pwearl, p3earl, p4earl, prearl, psearl, pdearl, pwarl, p3arl, p4arl, prarl, psarl, pdarl, pewarl, pe3arl, pe4arl, perarl, pesarl, pedarl, peqarl, pewarl, pesarl, pezarl, peqrl, pewrl, pesrl, pezrl, peaqrl, peawrl, peasrl, peazrl, peaerl, pea4rl, pea5rl, peatrl, peafrl, peael, pea4l, pea5l, peatl, peafl, pearel, pear4l, pear5l, peartl, pearfl, pearkl, pearol, pearpl, pear:l, peark, pearo, pearp, pear:, pearlk, pearlo, pearlp, pearl:.

Other Usage Examples

It is better wither to be silent, or to say things of more value than silence. Sooner throw a pearl at hazard than an idle or useless word and do not say a little in many words, but a great deal in a few.

There is an electric fire in human nature tending to purify - so that among these human creatures there is continually some birth of new heroism. The pity is that we must wonder at it, as we should at finding a pearl in rubbish.

I have a pet lizard named Puff, five goldfish - named Pinky, Brain, Jowels, Pearl and Sandy, an oscar fish named Chef, two pacus, an albino African frog named Whitey, a bonsai tree, four Venus flytraps, a fruit fly farm and sea monkeys.

It's a very complex scenario, and certainly Dave was, and is, not the only person in Pearl Jam with personality flaws. Everybody in this band exhibits some form of neurotic behavior. And we couldn't find a balance, a mutual respect for each other.

For truth is precious and divine, too rich a pearl for carnal swine.

I had just turned 10-years-old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and plunged America into World War II.

My cooking is so bad my kids thought Thanksgiving was to commemorate Pearl Harbor.