Gem

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /d͡ʒɛm/

Definitions

1. A polished mineral or stone, valued for its beauty and rarity, that is often used in adornments or regarded highly for its aesthetic qualities and significance
2. A naturally occurring mineral or rock crystal that is cut and polished for its beauty and rarity and often used in fine jewelry or ornamentation
3. A precious or semi-precious stone that has been cut and polished to display brilliance and color ; something or someone admired for their outstanding qualities or rarity

Etymology: Before it meant a sparkling stone, the Latin "gemma" meant a bud, the swelling on a plant that will become a leaf or flower. Botanists still use "gemma" for this sense, and a bud that reproduces a plant asexually is called a gemma. The jewel sense developed in Latin alongside the bud sense, probably from the notion of something small, bright, and set apart. The word reached English through Old French "gemme," which was itself borrowed from Latin. It appears in Middle English in forms such as "gemme" and "gimme," and it was spelled with a y or yogh in some early texts. Its later spelling settled into the familiar form we use now.

Synonyms: jewel, precious stone, treasure, ruby, diamond

Antonyms: blemish, flaw