Origin: 1250–1300; Middle English jouel juel < Anglo-French jeul,Old French jouel, joel < Vulgar Latin *jocāle plaything, noun use of neuter of *jocālis (adj.) of play, equivalent to Latin joc(us) joke + -ālis-al1
late 13c., "article of value used for adornment," Anglo-Fr. juel, O.Fr. juel, jouel "ornament, jewel" (12c.), perhaps from M.L. jocale, from L. jocus "pastime, sport," in V.L. "that which causes joy" (see joke). Another theory traces it to L. gaudium, also with a notion of