pearl
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɜːl/
ipa: [pʰəːɫ]
ipa: /pɝl/
ipa: [pʰɚɫ]
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)l
homophone: purl
Forms: form: pearls
form: pearling
form: pearled
form: pearled
Etymology: From Middle English perle, from Old French perle of uncertain etymology. Probably via unattested Medieval Latin *pernula, from Latin perna (“haunch; a marine bivalve shaped like a leg of lamb”) but also derived from Medieval Latin perla, from Latin perula (“little bag”). Its typographic use follows the name given by Jean Jannon to the type used in his miniature editions of Vergil, Horace, & the New Testament in the 1620s, which were the smallest printed works to his time. Its surfing use derives from the supposed resemblance to pearl diving.
Senses: examples: text: Syed Omar began to walk to the airport. Sweat pearled his tough brown skin, his fat bounced in rhythm.
ref: 1959, Anthony Burgess, Beds in the East (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 600:
glosses: To set or adorn with pearls, or with mother-of-pearl.
examples: text: to pearl barley
glosses: To cause to resemble pearls in shape; to make into small round grains.
examples: text: A Teaching Company Scheme developing new technology for pearling light bulbs was established in October […]
ref: 1993, New Scientist, volume 139, page 62:
glosses: To cause to resemble pearls in lustre or iridescence.
glosses: To resemble pearl or pearls.
examples: text: I'm left here with the memory of all their shining words, like drops of water pearling on the window-pane
ref: 2007, Angela Patten, Reliquaries, Salmon Publishing, →ISBN, page 5:
text: Blood pearled on the blade, its aroma filling the air.
ref: 2011 September 1, Kristen Painter, Blood Rights: House of Comarré: Book 1, Hachette UK, →ISBN:
text: The razorlike edges sliced shallow seams through the callouses. The fluid pearled but didn't run, and it stung in the saltwater.
ref: 2022 May 9, Lori Power, Backlash Bounty, The Wild Rose Press Inc, →ISBN:
glosses: To bead; to form droplets.
raw_tags: of a liquid
examples: text: to go pearling
glosses: To hunt for pearls
examples: text: Used a pointed tip today and learned why I kept pearling with my round tipped board. Round noses like to dig into the water, causing frustrating wipeouts.
ref: 1999, Joanne VanMeter https://web.archive.org/web/20071027111258/http://www.letsplay.net/archive99/020399.shtml
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
surfing
glosses: To sink the nose of one's surfboard into the water, often on takeoff.
examples: text: He couldn't even turn the board or raise the nose. Consequently, the board pearled, nose-dived into the water, throwing Lee off almost like being thrown from a horse. But he persisted.
ref: 2017, Jian, Sh-Boom: The Way of the World:
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
surfing
glosses: Of the nose of the surfboard: to sink in this manner.
topics: biology
botany
natural-sciences
glosses: Of aquatic plants: to produce visible bubbles on the stems and leaves during photosynthesis, usually in a simulated environment like an aquarium.
glosses: To use an ender pearl to teleport by throwing it.
Derived terms: sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: cultured pearl
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: mabe pearl
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: mother-of-pearl
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: pearl ash
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: pearl barley
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: pearl cotton
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: pearl diver
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: pearler
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: pearlescent
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: pearl essence
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: pearl gray
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: pearling
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: pearl millet
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: pearl necklace
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: pearl of wisdom
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: pearl onion
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: pearl oyster
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: pearly
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: pearly king
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: pearly nautilus
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: pearly queen
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: pearly whites
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: perlemoen
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: seed pearl
sense: Terms derived from the noun "pearl"
word: sulfur pearl