noun
1.
a cut and polished precious stone or pearl fine enough for use in jewelry.
2.
something likened to or prized as such a stone because of its beauty or worth: His painting was the gem of the collection.
3.
a person held in great esteem or affection.
4.
muffin ( def 1 ).
5.
British Printing. a 4-point type of a size between brilliant and diamond.
verb (used with object)
6.
to adorn with or as with gems; begem.
00:10
Gem
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is yaff. Does it mean:
| chat, to converse |
| to bark; yelp. |
adjective
7.
Jewelry. noting perfection or very high quality: gem color; a gem ruby.
Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English gemme < Old French < Latin gemma bud, jewel; replacing Middle English yimme, Old English gim(m) < Latin
1275–1325; Middle English gemme < Old French < Latin gemma bud, jewel; replacing Middle English yimme, Old English gim(m) < Latin
Related forms
gem·less, adjective
gem·like, adjective
Synonyms
2. treasure, prize, jewel, pearl.
2. treasure, prize, jewel, pearl.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To Gem
Collins
World English Dictionary
gem (dʒɛm) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a precious or semiprecious stone used in jewellery as a decoration; jewel |
| 2. | a person or thing held to be a perfect example; treasure |
| 3. | a size of printer's type, approximately equal to 4 point |
| 4. | (NZ) a type of small sweet cake |
| —vb , gems, gemming, gemmed | |
| 5. | (tr) to set or ornament with gems |
| [C14: from Old French gemme, from Latin gemma bud, precious stone] | |
| 'gemlike | |
| —adj | |
| 'gemmy | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
gem
O.E. gim, from L. gemma "precious stone, jewel," originally "bud," from the root *gen- "to produce" (see genus).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary
GEM definition
operating systemOne of the first commercially available GUIs. Borrowing heavily from the Macintosh WIMP-style interface it was available for both the IBM compatible market (being packaged with Amstrad's original PC series) and more successfully for the Atari ST range. The PC version was produced by Digital Research (more famous for DR-DOS, their MS-DOS clone), and was not developed very far. The Atari version, however, continued to be developed until the early 1990s and the later versions supported 24-bit colour modes, full colour icons and a nice looking sculpted 3D interface.
(1997-01-10)
American Heritage
Abbreviations & Acronyms
GEM
|
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
After all, its first two changes alone will shine enough light on murky practices to revolutionise the gem trade.
Jewellers and gem traders seem to have been the targets of two of the bombs.
It was beautiful, a gem of pure happiness that life throws you once in a while.
Come back next month for another gem from the archives.
Nearby Words
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