pearl
pearl [-s] n
ME < Fr. perle.
- Round ball that divers extract from oysters in the depths of the sea; [fig.] soul; mortal; human being; child of God; (see Matthew 13:45-46).
- Abalone; mother-of-pearl; lustrous white decorative matter from the inner side of an oyster shell; [fig.] celestial material; heavenly whiteness; that which adorns the gates of heaven; (see Revelation 21:21).
- Valuable white gem; precious iridescent bead.
- Gift; [fig.] being; precious soul; beloved person; rare opportunity to love and be loved.
- Prize; precious object; valuable thing.
- Treasure; natural gem; [fig.] truth; reality; substantial matters; real essence; [metaphor] paradise; heaven; immortality; eternal life.
- Sun; sunlight; sunshine; ball of light; radiant solar globe that sustains life on earth; [metaphor] love; gospel; promise of redemption; [allusion] see Browning's Paracelsus.
- White bloom; precious flower; beautiful blossom.
- Wedding ring; gem in a gift of jewelry; [fig.] honorable name; marriage vow; gift of love; joy resulting from wifehood; symbol of status as a married woman in society; token of purity, fidelity, loyalty, and commitment; [metaphor] joyous moment; precious time of happiness in marriage.
- Foam; spume; silvery seawater.
- Whiteness; iridescent thread spun by a spider.
- Rich melody; clear tone; exquisite music.
- Secret; confidential matter; object that oysters form imperceptibly in the ocean within their shells; [fig.] truth hidden from the knowledge of humankind; private pain that eventually yields enormous gain.
- White material; spotless clothing used to adorn the dead.
pearl adj
see pearl, n.
- Transparent; white; celestial; adorned with pearls; [fig.] deceased; immortal.