pearl¹ /pûrl/

1. A typically round, milky-white concretion of nacre formed in certain species of oyster and other shellfish, around a foreign body or otherwise, prized as a gem
2. Nacre, mother-of-pearl
3. A paragon or prized example
4. A lustrous globule
5. A granule
6. A tubercle of an antler burr
7. Cataract of the eye
8. A five-point type (about 15 lines to the inch) (printing)

1. Made of or like pearl
2. Granulated
3. (of an electric light bulb) made from frosted, rather than clear, glass as a precaution against glare

1. To set or adorn with pearls or pearly drops
2. To make pearly
3. To make into small round grains

1. To take a rounded form
2. To become like pearls
3. To fish for pearls

pearled adjective

pearlˈer noun

A pearl-fisher or a pearl-fisher's boat

pearlescˈent adjective

Having a pearly sheen

pearlˈiness noun

pearlˈing noun and adjective

pearlˈized or pearlˈised adjective

Treated so as to give a pearly or lustrous surface

pearlˈy adjective

1. Like pearl, nacreous
2. Rich in pearls

1. (in pl) pearl buttons
2. (in pl) costermongers' clothes covered with pearl buttons
3. A costermonger, or a member of his family, wearing such clothes

pearl ash noun

Partly purified potassium carbonate

pearl barley see under barley¹

pearl button noun

A mother-of-pearl button

pearl disease noun

Bovine tuberculosis

pearl diver noun

Someone who dives for pearls

pearlˈ-essence noun

A silvery preparation from fish scales used in making artificial pearls

pearlˈ-eye noun

Cataract

pearlˈ-eyed adjective

pearlˈ-fisher noun

Someone who fishes for pearls

pearlˈ-fishery noun

pearlˈ-fishing noun

pearlˈ-grayˈ or pearlˈ-greyˈ noun

A pale grey (also adjective)

• maillot
• maillots
• mailman
• mailmen
• mailmerge
• mailmerges
• mail order
• mail-order
• mail orders
• mail-out
• mail-outs
• mail-plane
• mail-planes
• mailroom
• mailrooms
• mails
• mailsack
• mailsacks
• mailshot
• mailshots
• mail-train
• mail-trains
• mailvan
• mailvans
• maim