[purl] 
| 1. | a smooth, rounded bead formed within the shells of certain mollusks and composed of the mineral aragonite or calcite in a matrix, deposited in concentric layers as a protective coating around an irritating foreign object: valued as a gem when lustrous and finely colored. Compare cultured pearl. |
| 2. | something resembling this, as various synthetic substances for use in costume jewelry. |
| 3. | something similar in form, luster, etc., as a dewdrop or a capsule of medicine. |
| 4. | something precious or choice; the finest example of anything: pearls of wisdom. |
| 5. | a very pale gray approaching white but commonly with a bluish tinge. |
| 6. | mother-of-pearl: a pearl-handled revolver. |
| 7. | Printing. a 5-point type. |
| 8. | Also called epithelial pearl. Pathology. a rounded mass of keratin occurring in certain carcinomas of the skin. |
| 9. | to adorn or stud with or as with pearls. |
| 10. | to make like pearls, as in form or color. |
| 11. | to dive, fish, or search for pearls. |
| 12. | to assume a pearllike form or appearance. |
| 13. | resembling a pearl in form or color. |
| 14. | of or pertaining to pearls: pearl diving. |
| 15. | set with a pearl or pearls or covered or inlaid with pearls or mother-of-pearl: a pearl necklace. |
| 16. | having or reduced to small, rounded grains. |
| 17. | cast pearls before swine, to offer or give something of great value to those incapable of appreciating it: She read them Shakespeare but it was casting pearls before swine. |
[purl] | 1. | a town in central Mississippi. 20,778. |
| 2. | a female given name. |
| 1. | a river flowing from central Mississippi into the Gulf of Mexico. 485 mi. (780 km) long. |
| 2. | Zhu Jiang. |
[purl] | 1. | to knit with a reverse stitch. |
| 2. | to finish with loops or a looped edging. |
| 3. | a basic stitch in knitting, the reverse of the knit, formed by pulling a loop of the working yarn back through an existing stitch and then slipping that stitch off the needle. Compare knit (def. 11). |
| 4. | one of a series of small loops along the edge of lace braid. |
| 5. | thread made of twisted gold or silver wire. |
[jy jyahng] | a river in SE China, in S Guangdong province, flowing E and S from Canton and forming an estuary near Hong Kong. ab. 110 mi. (177 km) long. |
| pearl 1 (pûrl) n.
v. tr.
[Middle English perle, from Old French, from Latin *pernula, diminutive of perna, ham, seashell (from the shape of the shell).] |
| pearl 2 (pûrl) v. & n. Variant of purl2. |
| purl 2 also pearl (pûrl) v. purled also pearled, purl·ing also pearl·ing, purls also pearls v. tr.
[Origin unknown.] |
pearl (pûrl)
n.
A small sphere of thin glass containing amyl nitrite or other volatile fluid, designed to be crushed, as in a handkerchief, so that its contents can be inhaled.
Any of a number of small tough masses of mucus occurring in the sputum in asthma.
| pearl (pûrl) Pronunciation Key
A smooth, slightly iridescent, white or grayish rounded growth inside the shells of some mollusks. Pearls form as a reaction to the presence of a foreign particle, and consist of thin layers of mother-of-pearl that are deposited around the particle. The pearls of oysters are often valued as gems. |
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["Programming Perl", Larry Wall and Randal L. Schwartz, O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. Sebastopol, CA. ISBN 0-93715-64-1].
(2000-08-16)
Pearl
(Heb. gabish, Job 28:18; Gr. margarites, Matt. 7:6; 13:46; Rev. 21:21). The pearl oyster is found in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. Its shell is the "mother of pearl," which is of great value for ornamental purposes (1 Tim. 2:9; Rev. 17:4). Each shell contains eight or ten pearls of various sizes.