GEM


Meaning of GEM in English

gem /dʒem/ BrE AmE noun [countable]

[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: French ; Origin: gemme , from Latin gemma 'bud, jewel' ]

1 . ( also gem stone ) a beautiful stone that has been cut into a special shape SYN jewel :

precious gems

2 . something that is very special or beautiful:

Every single ad in the campaign has been a gem.

The Fortune is a tiny gem of a theatre.

gem of

little gems of advice

3 . a very helpful or special person:

Ben, you’re a real gem!

• • •

THESAURUS

▪ jewel a valuable stone, such as a diamond:

He had a large fortune in gold and jewels.

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the crown jewels (=the crown and other valuable objects worn by the king or queen on important royal occasions)

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a jewel thief

▪ precious stone a rare and valuable jewel such as a diamond or an ↑ emerald :

The handle of the sword was decorated with precious stones.

▪ gem ( also gemstone ) a jewel that has been cut into a special shape:

The cross had large red gems set into it.

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Her eyes were shining like gemstones.

▪ semi-precious stone a valuable stone, but one that is not as rare or valuable as a diamond, ruby, emerald etc:

Lapis lazuli is a semi-precious stone that was often used by the ancient Egyptians.

▪ solitaire technical a single jewel, especially a large diamond:

a gold ring with a diamond solitaire

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.