gem
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: ball-games
baseball
computing
engineering
games
hobbies
lifestyle
mathematics
media
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
printing
publishing
sciences
sports
Etymology: Inherited from Middle English gemme, gimme, yimme, ȝimme, from Old English ġimm, from Proto-West Germanic *gimmu (“gem”) and Old French gemme (“gem”), both from Latin gemma (“a swelling bud; jewel, gem”). Doublet of gemma and Gemma.
Inflected forms:
form: gems
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: gems
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: gemming
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: gemmed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: gemmed
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: A precious stone, usually of substantial monetary value or prized for its beauty or shine.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: And on her head she wore a tyre of gold,
Adornd with gemmes and owches wondrous fayre,
Whose passing price vneath was to be told;
Of six preceding ancestors, that gem,
Conferr’d by testament to the sequent issue,
Hath it been owed and worn. This is his wife;
That ring’s a thousand proofs.
[…] then silent Night
With this her solemn Bird and this fair Moon,
And these the Gemms of Heav’n, her starrie train:
Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are diamond, ruby and sapphire, emerald and other gem forms of the mineral beryl, chrysoberyl, tanzanite, tsavorite, topaz and jade.
gloss: Any precious or highly valued thing or person.
pos: noun
tags: countable
figuratively
uncountable
examples: She's an absolute gem.
Standout “Hidden Knives” is the kind of new wave-leaning punk gem John Hughes would’ve loved, while “So Beneath You” is a teeth-baring, roiling tune.
Miller and Mars scoured lower Manhattan and Brooklyn for a brownstone that would meet their needs, but it wasn't until they discovered a gem nestled on a quiet Upper West Side block that they knew they'd found the one.
gloss: Any precious or highly valued thing or person.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
countable
figuratively
uncountable
examples: a gem of wit
gloss: Any precious or highly valued thing or person.
pos: noun
tags: Internet
broadly
countable
figuratively
uncountable
gloss: A gemma or leaf bud.
pos: noun
tags: countable
obsolete
uncountable
examples: c. 1668, John Denham (translator), Of Old Age by Cato the Elder, Part 3, in Poems and Translations, with The Sophy, London: H. Herringman, 4th edition, 1773, p. 35,
Then from the Joynts of thy prolifick Stemm
A swelling Knot is raised (call’d a Gemm)
Among the crooked Lanes, on every Hedge, / The Glow-Worm lights his Gem […].
1803, John Browne Cutting, “A Succinct History of Jamaica” in Robert Charles Dallas, The History of the Maroons, London: Longman and Rees, Volume 1, p. xcii,
In about twelve days the sprouts from the gems of the planted cane are seen […]
gloss: A geometrid moth of the species Orthonama obstipata.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: A package containing programs or libraries for the Ruby programming language.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: A size of type between brilliant (4-point) and diamond (4½-point), running 222 lines to the foot.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
uncommon
uncountable
gloss: A strong, dominating pitching performance.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: 2025, Associated Press, Crochet gets 1st career shutout and complete game as Red Sox beat Rays for 9th straight win by Associated Press,
He didn’t walk a batter in his 100-pitch gem
gloss: To adorn with, or as if with, gems.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: [T]he fair star / That gems the glittering coronet of morn, / Sheds not a light so mild, so powerful, / As that which, bursting from the Fairy's form, / Spread a purpureal halo round the scene, / Yet with an undulating motion, / Swayed to her outline gracefully.
A few bright and beautiful stars gemmed the wide concave of heaven[…].
Above was the firmament, gemmed with worlds, and sublime in immensity.
The rain Shook from fruit bushes in new showers again As I brushed past, and gemmed the window pane.
And those salt tears your lashes gemmed / Were but the breath of flame distilled; / Flame white and pure, and diademmed / With suffering,—pain with joy fulfilled.
Synonyms: jewel
precious stone
Derived words: begem
cardinal gem
gem clip
Gem County
gemcutter
gem-cutter
gem cutter
gem-diol
gem-diolate
gem-disubstituent effect
gemerald
gem-faced civet
gemfish
gem-hydrogenation
gemless
gemlike
gemmer
gemmery
gemmy
gemology
gemsetter
gemsetting
gemsmith
gemsona
gem squash
Gem State
gemstone
gem tree
gemwork
gemwright
hidden gem
iced gem
mountaingem
Zanzibar gem
Translations:
lang: Bulgarian
word: съкровище
roman: sǎkrovište
lang: Danish
word: perle
lang: French
word: merle blanc
lang: French
word: oiseau rare
lang: Georgian
word: მარგალიტი
roman: margaliṭi
lang: Georgian
word: განძი
roman: ganʒi
lang: Georgian
word: ძვირფასეულობა
roman: ʒvirpaseuloba
lang: Greek
word: διαμάντι
roman: diamánti
lang: Greek
word: κόσμημα
roman: kósmima
lang: Italian
word: gemma
lang: Italian
word: perla
lang: Italian
word: chicca
lang: Pashto
word: غمی
roman: ghamai
lang: Polish
word: klejnot
lang: Polish
word: perła
lang: Polish
word: skarb
lang: Portuguese
word: pérola
lang: Russian
word: жемчу́жина
roman: žemčúžina
lang: Russian
word: драгоце́нность
roman: dragocénnostʹ
lang: Scottish Gaelic
word: neamhnaid
lang: Spanish
word: primor
lang: Swahili
word: johari
lang: Swedish
word: guldklimp