gem
Translingual
English
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.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /d͡ʒɛm/
- (pin–pen merger) IPA(key): /d͡ʒɪm/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɛm
Noun
gem (countable and uncountable, plural gems)
- A precious stone, usually of substantial monetary value or prized for its beauty or shine.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto X”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, page 144:
- c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii]:
- 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.
- 1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 647-649:
- […] then silent Night
With this her solemn Bird and this fair Moon,
And these the Gemms of Heav’n, her starrie train:
- 2012 March, Lee A. Groat, “Gemstones”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 14 June 2012, page 128:
- 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.
- (figuratively) Any precious or highly valued thing or person.
- She's an absolute gem.
- Anything of small size, or expressed within brief limits, which is regarded as a gem on account of its beauty or value, such as a small picture, a verse of poetry, or an epigram.
- a gem of wit
- (obsolete) A gemma or leaf-bud.
- 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)
- 1727, James Thomson, “Summer”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC:
- 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 […]
- 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,
- A geometrid moth of species Orthonama obstipata.
- (computing) A package containing programs or libraries for the Ruby programming language.
- (uncountable, printing, uncommon, obsolete) A size of type between brilliant (4-point) and diamond (4½-point), running 222 lines to the foot.
Synonyms
- (precious stone): gemstone, jewel, precious stone; see also Thesaurus:gemstone
Derived terms
Translations
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Verb
gem (third-person singular simple present gems, present participle gemming, simple past and past participle gemmed)
- (transitive) To adorn with, or as if with, gems.
- 1813, Percy Bysshe Shelley, “Canto I”, in Queen Mab; […], London: […] P. B. Shelley, […], →OCLC, page 6:
- [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.
- 1922 February, Miriam Campbell, “A Dream of Brittany”, in The Educational Times: A Review of Ideas and Methods, volume IV (new series)/LXXIV (old series), page 64, column 1:
- 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
Albanian
Alternative forms
- gemb
Derived terms
Related terms
References
- Orel, Vladimir E. (1998) “gem”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 112
Cimbrian
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle High German geben, from Old High German geban, from Proto-West Germanic *geban, from Proto-Germanic *gebaną.
Cognate with German geben, Dutch geven, obsolete English yive, Icelandic gefa.
References
- Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien
Danish
Meriam
Polish
Etymology
Borrowed from English game, from Middle English game, gamen, gammen, from Old English gamen (“sport, joy, mirth, pastime, game, amusement, pleasure”), from Proto-West Germanic *gaman, from Proto-Germanic *gamaną (“amusement, pleasure, game”), from *ga- (collective prefix) + *mann- (“man”); or alternatively from *ga- + a root from Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to think, have in mind”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡɛm/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -ɛm
- Syllabification: gem
Declension
Romanian
Declension
Verb
gem
- inflection of geme:
- first-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
- third-person plural present indicative
Swedish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡeːm/, /jeːm/
- Rhymes: -eːm
- Homophone: game
Etymology 1
The paper clip's most common design was originally thought to be made by The Gem Manufacturing Company in Britain in the 1870s.[1] More at paper clip.
Declension
Declension of gem | ||||
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Singular | Plural | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Nominative | gem | gemet | gem | gemen |
Genitive | gems | gemets | gems | gemens |
References
- gem in Svensk ordbok (SO)
- gem in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
- gem in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
- Petroski, Henry: "Polishing the Gem: A First-Year Design Project", Journal of Engineering Education, October 1998, p. 445
Turkish
Etymology
Greek [Term?]
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɡem/
- Hyphenation: gem
Declension
Inflection | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nominative | gem | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Definite accusative | gemi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Singular | Plural | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nominative | gem | gemler | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Definite accusative | gemi | gemleri | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dative | geme | gemlere | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Locative | gemde | gemlerde | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ablative | gemden | gemlerden | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Genitive | gemin | gemlerin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Derived terms
- gemi azıya almak (idiom)
Further reading
- gem on the Turkish Wikipedia.Wikipedia tr
Volapük
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡem/, [ɡem]
Noun
gem (nominative plural gems)
- sibling
- 1949, “Lifajenäd brefik cifala: ‚Jakob Sprenger‛”, in Volapükagased pro Nedänapükans, issue 4, 13-14:
- ‚Jakob‛ äbinom cil mälid se gems vel: blods lul e sörs tel.
- Jakob was the sixth child out of seven siblings: five brothers and two sisters.
Declension
Derived terms
- (collective) gemef (“brother(s) and/or sister(s)”)
- (adjective) gemik (“sibling”)