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GEM
Pronunciation (US): | (GB): |
Irregular inflected forms: gemmed , gemming
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Art highly prized for its beauty or perfection
Synonyms:
gem; treasure
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("gem" is a kind of...):
art; fine art (the products of human creativity; works of art collectively)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A precious or semiprecious stone incorporated into a piece of jewelry
Synonyms:
gem; jewel; precious stone
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("gem" is a kind of...):
jewellery; jewelry (an adornment (as a bracelet or ring or necklace) made of precious metals and set with gems (or imitation gems))
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "gem"):
crown jewel (a precious stone that is a valuable part of a sovereign's regalia)
solitaire (a gem (usually a diamond) in a setting by itself)
diamond (a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem)
ruby (a transparent piece of ruby that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem)
pearl (a smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam or oyster; much valued as a jewel)
emerald (a transparent piece of emerald that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem)
sapphire (a transparent piece of sapphire that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A sweet quick bread baked in a cup-shaped pan
Synonyms:
gem; muffin
Classified under:
Nouns denoting foods and drinks
Hypernyms ("gem" is a kind of...):
quick bread (breads made with a leavening agent that permits immediate baking)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "gem"):
bran muffin (muffin containing bran)
corn muffin (cornbread muffin)
popover (light hollow muffin made of a puff batter (individual Yorkshire pudding) baked in a deep muffin cup)
Sense 4
Meaning:
A person who is as brilliant and precious as a piece of jewelry
Synonyms:
gem; jewel
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("gem" is a kind of...):
individual; mortal; person; somebody; someone; soul (a human being)
Sense 5
Meaning:
A crystalline rock that can be cut and polished for jewelry
Example:
she had jewels made of all the rarest stones
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("gem" is a kind of...):
crystal (a solid formed by the solidification of a chemical and having a highly regular atomic structure)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "gem"):
cabochon (a highly polished gem that is cut convexly but without facets)
opaque gem (a gemstone that is opaque)
transparent gem (a gemstone having the property of transmitting light without serious diffusion)
Holonyms ("gem" is a part of...):
jewellery; jewelry (an adornment (as a bracelet or ring or necklace) made of precious metals and set with gems (or imitation gems))
Context examples:
This precious volume, of which I do not recollect one word, I immediately discovered and immediately applied myself to; and I never visited the house afterwards, but I kneeled on a chair, opened the casket where this gem was enshrined, spread my arms over the desk, and fell to devouring the book afresh.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
I shall never let it drop until the gems are found—never, Mary!
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Above the temples, amidst wreathed turban folds of black drapery, vague in its character and consistency as cloud, gleamed a ring of white flame, gemmed with sparkles of a more lurid tinge.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
What did they say, then, of the disappearance of these gems?
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
I did not then know that it was no transitory blossom, but rather the radiant resemblance of one, cut in an indestructible gem.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
The reaction of joy was as passionate as his grief had been, and he hugged his recovered gems to his bosom.
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
The east had its own charm or fine deep blue, and its own modest gem, a casino and solitary star: soon it would boast the moon; but she was yet beneath the horizon.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
It must have been he who wore those boots and retained the missing gems.
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
He smiled; and I thought his smile was such as a sultan might, in a blissful and fond moment, bestow on a slave his gold and gems had enriched: I crushed his hand, which was ever hunting mine, vigorously, and thrust it back to him red with the passionate pressure.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
I have lost my honour, my gems, and my son in one night.
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)