▪ I. pearl, n.1
(pɜːl)
Forms: 4–6 perle, peerle, 5 perl, (perll, perell, -ill, perril, 6 pearel, Sc. peirl(e, peirll), 6–7 pearle, 5– pearl.
[ME. a. F. perle (also pesle, pelle, peele, pele, 13–14th c., Godef.) = Pr., It., Sp., Pg. perla, Pg. also perola, med.L. perla (J. de Vitry, a 1244), pella, perula, perulus. From Romanic also OHG. perala, berla, MHG. perle, berle, Ger. perle, MLG. perle, parle, MDu. pārele, Du. paarl. Ulterior etymology unsettled.
Many identify the word with med.L. pērula, in Isidore pirula, dim. of L. pirum, Com. Rom. pēra pear, used in reference to shape. Others think perla altered from perna, the form in Neapolitan and Sicilian dial., and found in Sicilian Lat., in Constitut. of Frederick King of Sicily, early 13th c. (Du Cange), which they would identify with L. perna, ham, leg of mutton, also a leg-of-mutton-shaped marine bivalve, mentioned by Pliny. A dim. of the latter, *pernula, conjectured in Du Cange (ed. 1762) is favoured by Gröber. Another suggested source is L. pilula globule, whence, by dissimilation of l..l to r..l, *pirula (for which Littré compares Venetian and Veronese pirola from pilula). See Diez, Littré, Körting, etc.]
I. 1. a. A nacreous concretion formed within the shell of various bivalve molluscs around some foreign body (e.g. a grain of sand), composed of filmy layers of carbonate of lime interstratified with animal membrane; it is of hard smooth texture, of globular, pear-shaped, oval, or irregular form, and of various colours, usually white or bluish-grey; often having a beautiful lustre, and hence highly prized as a gem; formerly also used in medicine. See also mother of pearl, seed pearl.
The chief source is the Pearl-oyster, Meleagrina margaritifera, of the Indian Seas, but pearls are yielded by many other marine, as well as by some freshwater shells, the pearl-mussels, Unionidæ.
| [a 1259 Matt. Paris Chron. Maj. (Rolls) V. 489 Erat quidam lapis preciosus, qui dicitur vulgariter Perla.] 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 1 Perle plesaunte to prynces paye, To clanly clos in golde so clere. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. xi. 12 Draf weore hem leuere Þen al þe presciouse Peerles þat in paradys waxen. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. Prol. 153 (221) Of o perle fyn & oryental Hyre white coroun was I-makyd al. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xiv. 158 The fyn Perl congeleþ and wexeþ gret of the dew of heuene. 1447 O. Bokenham Seyntys (Roxb.) 2 A margerye perle aftyr the phylosophyr Growyth on a shelle of lytyl pryhs. 1526 Tindale Matt. xiii. 46 When he had founde one precious pearle [Wyclif, oo preciouse margarite]. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 290 A Chapelet of fine Perles that he ware on his hed. a 1600 Montgomerie Sonn. xlix, Thoght peirlis give pryce, and diamonds be deir. 1607 Dekker & Webster Sir T. Wyatt D.'s Wks. 1873 III. 129 Cheekes purer then the Maiden orient pearle. 1698 Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 320 The Pearl is a Jewel supposed to be the Geniture of a Shell-fish..congealed into a very fair, transparent, Diaphanous, beautiful Stone. 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. VII. 54 Whether pearls be a disease or an accident in the animal is scarce worth enquiry. 1883 Fish. Exhib. Catal. 77 Fancy Pearls, such as black, pink, yellow, grey; from Australia, South Pacific Islands, &c. |
b. (without
a or
pl.) As name of the substance.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 207 Hiȝe pynakled of cler quyt perle. Ibid. 255 Set on hyr coroun of perle orient. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 45 The Sadles..With Perle and gold so wel begon. 1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. ccxli. 273 A croune of gold pyght with ryche perle and precious stones. 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. v. i. 77 Why sir, what cernes it you, if I weare Pearle and gold? 1626 Bacon Sylva §380 There hath been a tradition, that pearl, and coral, and turquois⁓stone, that have lost their colours, may be recovered by burying in the earth. 1717 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. to C'tess Mar 1 Apr., A large bouquet of jewels, made like natural flowers: that is, the buds of pearl..the jessamines, of diamonds,..etc. 1841–4 Emerson Ess., Compensation Wks. (Bohn) I. 50 Like the wounded oyster, he mends his shell with pearl. |
c. = mother of pearl. Chiefly
attrib.: see 17 a.
d. artificial pearl, an imitation of the natural gem, made of glass, etc.
blister pearl, a flattish excrescence of pearl adhering to the shell.
Roman pearl (see
quot. 1875).
essence of pearl, an imitation of mother-of-pearl prepared from the scales of the bleak, herring, and other fish; now
usu. called
pearl essence (see sense 18).
| 1638 Baker tr. Balzac's Lett. (vol. II.) 114 Whether my pearles be Orientall, or but of Venice. 1665 Boyle Occas. Refl. iv. ii, The artificial Pearl made at Venice, consisting of Mercury and Glass. 1791 Macie in Phil. Trans. LXXXI. 379 By adding the alkali to the bit of Tabasheer in exceedingly small quantities at a time, this substance was converted into a pearl of clear colourless glass. 1805 C. Wilmot Let. 26 Aug. in Russ. Jrnls. (1934) i. 170 A dress of white crape & roman pearls & white cameo ornaments. 1832 G. R. Porter Porcelain & Gl. 236 He then proceeded to line the interior surface of these with the powdered fish scales, which he called essence of pearl, or essence d'Orient. 1875 Ure's Dict. Arts III. 518 Italy also manufactures pearls by a method borrowed from the Chinese: they are known under the name of Roman pearls, and are a very good imitation of natural ones. |
2. Her. In blazoning by precious stones, the designation of the tincture
argent or white.
| 1572 J. Bossewell Armorie ii. 56 b, The fielde is of y⊇ Diamond, a Bonaze Perle, Unguled topaze. 1688 R. Holme Armoury iii. i. 5/1 He beareth Pearl, a Chaplet garnished. 1725 Coats Dict. Her., Pearl, being White, is us'd instead of Argent, by those who blazon the Arms of Great Men by Precious Stones instead of Colours and Metals. c 1828 Berry Encycl. Her. I. Gloss. |
3. fig. a. Something especially precious, noble, or choice; the finest or best member or part; a fine or noble example or type.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 242 Art þou my perle þat I haf playned? 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VII. 85 Also þis ȝere kyng Egebrede wedded Emme, þe perle and þe precious stone of Normanes. 1503 Dunbar Thistle & Rose 180 Welcome to be our princes of honour, Our perle, our plesans and our paramour. 1567 Satir. Poems Reform. vii. 71 Our prettie Prince, the peirle of all this land. 1605 Shakes. Macb. v. viii. 56. 1639 Shirley Gentlem. Venice i. 11 He is the very pearl Of curtesie. 1816 Scott Old Mort. xxxv, Ah, benedicite! how he will mourn over the fall of such a pearl of knighthood. 1859 Tennyson Elaine 114 Guinevere, The pearl of beauty. |
b. Prov. to cast pearls before swine, to offer or give a good thing to one who is incapable of appreciating it, but may defile or abuse it. (From
Matt. vii. 6.)
| 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. xi. 9 Noli mittere Margeri perles Among hogges. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 110 Þus comaundeth crist þat men schullen not ȝeue holy þingis to hondis & putten precious perlis to hoggis. 1526 Tindale Matt. vii. 6 Nether caste ye youre pearles [Wyclif margaritis] before swyne. 1533 Gau Richt Vay 104 As the suine trampis the precious peirlis onder thair feit. 1645 Milton 2nd Sonn. Tetrach., This is got by casting Pearl to Hoggs. 1848 Dickens Dombey xxiii, Oh I do a thankless thing, and cast pearls before swine! |
II. In transferred senses.
† 4. a. The pupil of the eye; the crystalline lens.
| 1340 Ayenb. 158 Ase a-ye mi wyl me be-houeþ to zyenne and o[n]deruonge ine þe perle of þe eȝe þe ssepþe of þe þinge þet is him be-uore. 1604 Wright Passions ii. i. 48 If..some darknesse fall vpon the eyes, a dimme cloud is cast before the pearles thereof. |
† b. A thin white film or opacity growing over the eye; a kind of cataract.
Obs. or
dial. [
med.L.
perula, Du Cange.]
| [c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 251 Þou schalt se þan vpon his iȝe a whit þing as it were a peerle.] |
| 1382 Wyclif Lev. xxi. 20 If crokid rigge, or bleer eyed; if whijt perle hauinge in the eye. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 394/2 Peerle, yn the eye, glaucoma. 1584 Cogan Haven Health cxxvi. (1612) 109 A certaine experiment to take away a fleame or pearle from the eye. 1599 A. M. tr. Gabelhouer's Bk. Physicke 55/1 For Catarractes or Pearles of the Eyes. 1666 Spurstowe Spir. Chym. 21 Physicians..who call..the white film which taketh away the delightful sight a Pearl in the Eye. 1747 Wesley Prim. Physic (1762) 62 It cures Pearls, Rheums, and often Blindness itself. c 1820 in Sheffield Gloss. (1888), Pearl, a cataract in the eye. |
5. A small and round drop or globule resembling a pearl in shape or aspect;
e.g. a dewdrop, a tear.
| c 1460 J. Russell Bk. Nurture 283 Pike not youre nose, ne þat hit be droppynge with no peerlis clere. 1513 Douglas æneis xii. Prol. 134 The plane pulderyt with semely settis sovnd, Bedyit full of dewy peirlis rovnd. 1593 Shakes. Lucr. 1213 Shee..wip't the brinish pearle from her bright eies. 1696–7 Lister in Phil. Trans. XIX. 373 Small Transparent Pearls or Drops of a liquid Gum. 1704 Pope Pastorals, Winter 31 Now hung with pearls the dropping trees appear. 1852 R. S. Surtees Sponge's Sp. Tour (1893) 339 ‘Don't know’, replied the boy,..as he rubbed a pearl off his nose on to the back of his hand. |
6. Rhetorically applied to white glistening teeth. Also collective:
cf. ‘ivory’.
| 1586 G. Pettie tr. Guazzo's Civ. Conv. 34 Calling..her teeth Pearles, her lips Corall. 1648 Herrick Hesper., Hymne to Venus, Goddesse, I do love a girle, Rubie-lipt and tooth'd with pearl. 1775 Sheridan St. Patr. Day i. i, I believe I have drawn half a score of her poor dear pearls. 1824 Byron Juan xvi. cxxi, A red lip, with two rows of pearl beneath. |
7. One of the bony tubercles encircling the bur or base of a deer's antler.
| 1575 Turberv. Venerie 54 That which is about the crust of the beame is termed pearles. a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, Pearls, the little Knobs on the Bur of a Stag. 1873 Black Pr. Thule xxv, You will discourse to your friends of the span, and the pearls of the antlers, and the crockets. |
8. † a. Pearls of Spain: the white grape-hyacinth (from the shape of its flowers).
Obs. rare.
| 1597 Gerarde Herbal, Table Eng. Names, Pearles of Spaine. 1629 Parkinson Parad. in Sole 115 Some English Gentlewomen call the white Grape-flower Pearles of Spaine. |
b. An oat-like grass (
Arrhenatherum avenaceum) with knotted or tuberous base:
= pearl-grass 2.
| 1886 S. A. Stewart in Britten & Holland Plant-n. 224 It [Avena elatior] is known in Co. Antrim as Pearl; the knobs at the base of the stem are the pearls. I have been informed that these ‘pearls’ are of great value as a cure for inflamed eyes. |
9. One of several small white or silver balls set on a coronet; a similar ball as a heraldic bearing; also, a small white circle on a coloured ground.
| 1688 R. Holme Armoury iii. i. 4/1 The top of the circle set close together with Pearls or Buttons of Silver. 1707 Chamberlayne Pres. St. Eng. iii. iii. 273 His [Marquis's] Coronet hath Pearls and Strawberry Leaves, intermixt round of equal height. 1725 Coats Dict. Her., Viscounts Coronet has neither Flowers, nor Points rais'd above the Circle..but only Pearls plac'd on the Circle itself. 1882 Cussans Hand-bk. Her. xiv. (ed. 3) 179. 1897 W. Morley Cat. Stamps Gt. Brit. 19, 1d. pale lilac, 14 pearls..5s.; 1d. dark lilac, 16 pearls..6d. |
10. Printing. Name of a size of type, formerly the smallest used, now intermediate between agate and diamond.
| 1656 Blount Glossogr. s.v. Character, The Printers..names of their several sorts of Letters are 1. Pearl, which is the least. 2. Non-Pareil [etc.]. 1660 Fuller Mixt Contempl. ix. (1841) 223 The pearle Bible printed at London, 1653. 1683 Moxon Mech. Exerc., Printing ii. ¶2. 1824 J. Johnson Typogr. II. v. 83 As this was..a greater advance to perfection, it..was designated Pearl. 1887 T. B. Reed Hist. Lett. Foundries 40 Pearl, though an English body in Moxon's day, appears to have been known both in France and Holland at an earlier date. |
11. Eastern Ch. (rendering µαργαρίτης). A small particle of the consecrated bread:
= particle 2 c.
| 1847 Card. Wiseman Unreality Angl. Belief Ess. 1853 II. 406 In the Coptic Liturgy..after the division of the Host, the priest shall take one pearl (or particle) of the three above named. [1876–80 Smith & Cheetham Dict. Chr. Antiq., Margarita is a term for the particle of the bread which is broken off and placed in the cup as a symbol of the union of the Body and Blood of Christ.] |
12. A small fragment or size of various substances:
e.g. one of the pear-shaped granules into which molten metal cools when poured in drops into cold water; a small piece of clean coal; a name for a small pill or pilule,
esp. a gelatinous capsule employed for administering liquid medicines in the form of pills.
| 1872 Young Englishwoman Oct. 543/1 Ether pearls, small round capsules about the size of a pea, are of marvellous efficacy in instantly calming attacks of Asthma. 1873 E. Spon Workshop Receipts Ser. i. 191/2 Small articles are brightened in a long narrow bag, where they are put with copper pearls. 1897 Allbutt's Syst. Med. III. 230 Phosphorus, gr. 1/30 in pearls of which three to six are to be taken daily. 1901 Scotsman 15 Oct. 4/8 (Of small coal) After being washed, the pearls are drained and elevated by conveyers to a hopper. |
13. A degree of condensation and stickiness reached by clarified syrup when boiled for confectionery: see
pearled ppl. a.
1 4.
| 1883 R. Haldane Workshop Receipts Ser. ii. 152/1 There are 7 essential degrees in boiling sugar:..They are:—(1) small thread, (2) large thread, (3) little pearl, (4) large pearl. Ibid. 162/2 Boil some clarified loaf sugar to large pearl. |
14. Short for
pearl-moth: see 18.
| 1832 J. Rennie Consp. Butterfl. & Moths 151–2 Margaritia (Stephens). The Variegated Pearl..Very rare..The Long⁓winged Pearl..The Sulphur Pearl [etc.]. |
15. Name of a kind of firework.
| 1884 St. James's Gaz. 13 June 10/2 The display included..discharges of rockets and shells..and a cloud of pearls. |
16. a. The colour of a pearl, a clear pale bluish-grey. Also
attrib. or as adj. = pearl-coloured.
| 1688 Lond. Gaz. No. 2366/4, 6 pair of womens silk [hose] pearl, blew and green. 1899 Westm. Gaz. 2 Dec. 1/3 He watched the first streak of dawn change from a thin grey line of pearl into a broad band of pink and amethyst. |
b. Applied to an electric light bulb that is frosted on the inside so as to diffuse the light.
| 1930 Engineering 21 Mar. 393/1 The panels are illuminated from behind by a standard 40-watt ‘pearl’ lamp backed by aluminium reflectors. 1938 Times 3 Feb. 17/1 The conclusion reached is that lamps of the pearl type give a 7½ per cent better light than the opal type at present in use. 1972 ‘R. Crawford’ Whip Hand i. iii. 12 A single pearl bulb lit the store. |
III. attrib. and
Comb. 17. a. attributive: (
a) of pearl or pearls, adorned with pearls, as
pearl-bead,
pearl-broker,
pearl-chain,
pearl-collar,
pearl-colour,
pearl necklace,
pearl-rope,
pearl string,
pearl stud,
pearl-sword,
pearl-wreath; (
b) made of mother-of-pearl, as
pearl spoon; (
c) in sense 5, as
pearl-cup,
pearl-dew,
pearl-drop.
b. objective and
obj. genitive, as
pearl-cutter,
pearl-driller,
pearl-worker;
pearl-bearing,
pearl-making,
pearl-producing,
pearl-sliding,
pearl-yielding adjs. c. instrumental, as
pearl-besprinkled,
pearl-bordered,
pearl-crowned,
pearl-enamelled,
pearl-encrusted,
pearl-flushed,
pearl-gemmed,
pearl-handled,
pearl-headed,
pearl-hung,
pearl-lined,
pearl-lipped,
pearl-paved,
pearl-set,
pearl-studded,
pearl-wreathed adjs. d. parasynthetic, as
pearl-coloured,
pearl-hued,
pearl-tinted adjs. e. similative, as
pearl-blue,
pearl-bright,
pearl-grey (also as
n.),
pearl-pale,
pearl-pure,
pearl-round adjs.; also
pearl-like adj.| a 1821 Keats Hyperion ii. 284 Like *pearl-beads dropping sudden from their string. |
| 1667 H. Oldenburg in Phil. Trans. II. 431 *Pearl-bearing Oysters are not good to eat. |
| 1827 Butterfly Collector's Vade Mecum 100 Melitæa Euphrosyne, *Pearl-bordered Fritillary. |
| 1914 G. Frankau Tid'apa (1915) v. 29 *Pearl-bright under purple eyelids the unshed dew of a tear. |
| c 1610 Lady Compton in Antiq. Rep. (1808) III. 438, I would have..6000l. for a *Pearl Chain... I am so reasonable. 1795 Coleridge in Cottle Remin. (1847) 15 Benevolence is the silken thread that runs through the pearl-chain of all their virtues. |
| 1611 Cotgr. s.v. Gemmé, Couleur gemmée, a *pearle, or peacocke colour. 1655 Moufet & Bennet Health's Improv. (1746) 209 The best Milk is of a Pearl Colour. |
| 1604 T. M. Black Bk. in Middleton's Wks. (Bullen) VIII. 40 His *pearl-coloured silk stockings. |
| 1855 Bailey Fairy Tale in Mystic, etc. (ed. 2) 151 O'er the fields a *pearl-dew glistened. |
| 1709 Eng. Post 21 Mar. Advt., Known to be a *Pearl-Driller by Trade. |
| 1722 R. Beverley Hist. Virginia iii. i. 141 At his Ear is hung a fine Shell with *Pearl Drops. 1824 Sir J. Bowring & H. S. Van Dyk Batavian Anthol. 143 Dews..on the Roses lie, Whose leaves beneath the pearl-drops bend. |
| 1943 D. Gascoyne Poems 1937–42 60 Like Some priceless *pearl-enamelled toy. |
| 1952 R. Campbell tr. Baudelaire's Poems 193 While Phoebe sheers Through *pearl-flushed hours, To rain down tears In glittering showers. |
| 1796 H. Hunter tr. St.-Pierre's Stud. Nat. (1799) I. 520 A turtle-dove of Africa,..her *pearl-gray plumage. 1875 J. Blackwood Let. 30 Nov. in Geo. Eliot Lett. (1956) VI. 195, I rather lean to the pearl grey which he has told me is the name of the colour. 1931 V. Woolf Waves 110 Among the lustrous green, pink, pearl-grey women stand upright the bodies of men. 1969 in Halpert & Story Christmas Mumming in Newfoundland 182 Costumes used for disguise are listed:..fancy vests, beaver hats, pearl-gray spats. 1976 Eastern Even. News (Norwich) 9 Dec. 18/2 (Advt.), 1973 Capri 1600 XL, pearl grey, 44,934, {pstlg}1280. |
| 1901 Wide World Mag. VIII. 156/1 A *pearl-handled penknife. |
| 1839 Bailey Festus xix. (1852) 275 Violet, rose or *pearl-hued. |
| 1965 F. Sargeson Mem. Peon vi. 181 A short distance from my Leonora's *pearl-hung ear. |
| 1846 Browning Lett. 27 June (1899) II. 274 All your kindness is pure, entire, *pearl-like for roundness and completeness. |
| 1924 J. A. Thomson Science Old & New xx. 110 It seems highly probable that the walls of the *pearl-making sac are in a state of inflammation. |
| 1708 J. Lovett Let. 1 May in M. M. Verney Verney Lett. (1930) I. xii. 202 Tell Deare Bess her *Pearle Necklas is come. 1819 M. Wilmot Let. 8 Dec. (1935) 33, I can wear my pearl necklace clasped with the amathyst behind. 1972 J. Wilson Hide & Seek ii. 35 He reached for her imitation pearl necklace. |
| 1895 W. B. Yeats Poems 6 A *pearl-pale, high-born lady. |
| 1908 Westm. Gaz. 30 Dec. 2/3 There, in ‘the Garden’ roofed with glass, He flutes on the *pearl-paved ridge of dawn. |
| 1879 Dowden Southey iv. 87 It is October that brings most often those days faultless, *pearl⁓pure, of affecting influence. |
| 1925 E. Sitwell Troy Park 75 And there the *pearlropes fall like shawls. |
| 1552 Huloet, *Pearle seller, margaritarius. |
| 1609 Markham Fam. Whore (1868) 45 That *pearl-set mouth. |
| 1948 C. Day Lewis Poems 1943–47 15 What unseen clue Threads my *pearl-sliding hours. |
| 1577 in Archæologia XIX. 296 Mending my *Pearle Spoons..ijs. vjd. |
| 1939 L. M. Montgomery Anne of Ingleside xxi. 142 ‘Aren't those *pearl strings pretty?’..‘You'd almost think they were real.’ |
| 1927 E. Glyn ‘It’ xix. 172 His shirt with its incomparable two *pearl studs. 1975 S. Lauder Killing Time on Corvo i. 8 Her plain grey suit and hat, pearl studs, gloves. |
| 1896 Westm. Gaz. 4 Jan. 3/2 The City of London..contributing..the famous *pearl⁓sword with its splendid scabbard which Queen Elizabeth presented to the Corporation. |
| 1642 H. More Song Soul ii. App. xcix, Fair comely bodies,..rose-cheek'd, ruby-lip'd, *pearl-teeth'd, star-eyn'd. |
| 1908 Daily Chron. 29 Sept. 7/5 He..entered the deserted garden where *pearl-tinted spikes of iris perfumed the air. |
| 1858 Simmonds Dict. Trade, *Pearl-worker, a workman who cuts up mother-of-pearl shell, or forms it into buttons, papier mâché [etc.]. |
| 1839 Bailey Festus xxi. (1852) 377 Like the pure *pearl-wreath which enrings thy brow. |
18. Special combs.:
pearl-berry, the fruit (a small drupe) of an evergreen rosaceous shrub (
Margyricarpus selosus) often cultivated on rock-work; also the shrub itself; also
fig.;
pearl-bird, (
a) the guinea-fowl, so called from its white-spotted plumage; (
b) the pearl-spotted barbet, an African bird of genus
Trachyphonus;
pearl-bush, a large handsome Chinese shrub (
Spiræa or
Exochorda grandiflora), bearing racemes of white flowers;
pearl button, (
a) a button made of a pearl; (
b) a button made of mother-of-pearl or an imitation of it;
pearl-coated a., (
a)
dial.: see
quot. 1828; (
b) covered, as a pill, with a smooth pearly-white coating; so
pearl-coating;
† pearl-cordial, a cordial containing powdered pearl;
pearl-disease, tuberculosis of the serous membranes in cattle;
pearl essence,
pearlessence, essence of pearl (see
pearl n.1 1 d), or a synthetic imitation of this;
pearl-everlasting, the common white everlasting,
Gnaphalium margaritaceum (
Treas. Bot. 1866);
pearl-eye,
† (
a) cataract in the eye (
obs.); (
b) an eye of a pigeon or other bird, resembling a pearl; so
pearl-eyed a.;
pearl-fish,
† (
a) a shell-fish producing pearls; (
b) a fish (
e.g. the bleak) from the shining scales of which artificial pearl is made (
Funk's Stand. Dict. 1895); (
c)
= fierasfer;
pearl-fly: see
quot.;
pearl-fruit = pearl-berry (
Treas. Bot. 1866);
pearl-glimmer = pearl-mica;
† pearl-gooseberry, a variety of gooseberry;
pearl-grain, the grain or unit of weight by which the value of pearls is estimated; a carat-grain, one fourth of a carat;
pearl-hardening, a preparation of gypsum used to give body and substance to poor paper;
pearl-hen, the guinea fowl;
† pearl-julep, a sweet drink made with sugar of pearl;
pearl-lashing Naut., ‘the lashing which holds the jaws of the gaff’ (
Cent. Dict. 1890);
† pearl-mica, an obsolete synonym of Margarite;
pearl-moss, a name for carrageen (
Chondrus crispus);
pearl-moth, a pyralid moth of the genus
Botys or
Margaritia, so called from its shining appearance;
pearl-mussel, a species of mussel bearing pearls;
pearl-nautilus, the pearly nautilus;
pearl-onion: see
onion 2;
pearl-opal = cacholong;
pearl-perch, a sea-fish of New South Wales (
Glaucosoma scapulare, family Percidæ), excellent for food;
† pearl-plant: see
quots.;
pearl-pottery: see
quot.;
pearl-powder, a cosmetic used to impart whiteness to the skin;
= pearl-white; hence
pearl-powdered a.;
pearl-sago, sago in small hard rounded grains;
pearl-side, the name of a fish, the Sheppey argentine (
Scapelus pennanti or humboldtii), having pearly spots on the sides;
pearl-sinter, a synonym of Fiorite;
pearl-snail, the pearly nautilus;
pearl-spar, ‘an early name for crystallized dolomite showing a pearly lustre, including also some ankerite’ (Chester
Dict. Names Minerals 1896);
† pearl-spice, spice in small rounded grains;
pearl-tea, gunpowder-tea (
Cent. Dict. 1890);
pearl-tree: see
quot.;
pearl-tumour, (
a) an encysted tumour, the surface of which is covered with white pearly scales; (
b) a tumour in the brain, containing small calcified particles resembling grains of sand; (
c) in cattle
= pearl-disease;
pearl-weed = pearlwort;
pearl-white a., pearly white;
orig. used of
pearlware; also
ellipt. as
n. = pearlware,
pearl-powder: see
quots. Also
pearl-ash, -barley, -diver, etc.
| 1884 Miller Plant-n., *Pearl-berry. 1924 E. Sitwell Sleeping Beauty xvii. 67 And the pearl⁓berries of the snow upon dark bushes freeze. |
| 1882 Garden 3 June 384/2 The *Pearl Bush, one of the finest of the Spiræa tribe. |
| 1717 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. to C'tess Mar 1 Apr., The..waistcoat..should have diamond or *pearl buttons. 1851 in Illustr. Lond. News (1854) 5 Aug. 119/2 Occupations of People..pearl-button maker. 1869 E. A. Parkes Pract. Hygiene (ed. 3) 97 The makers of pearl buttons, also suffer from chronic bronchitis. |
| 1828 Craven Gloss. (ed. 2), *Peearl⁓coated, a sheep with a curled fleece... The small globules of the wool are supposed to resemble pearls. |
| 1895 Westm. Gaz. 27 June 2/2 A pill is a pill, no matter how beautifully it is ‘*pearl-coated’. |
| 1883 Daily News 18 Sept. 8/4 Pill-making.—Wanted, a Person, who understands *Pearl-coating. |
| 1750 Mrs. Delany Life & Corr. (1861) II. 550 Your letters..have been my castor, *pearl cordial, and sal volatile. |
| 1877 tr. von Ziemssen's Cycl. Med. XVI. 770 The *pearl disease of cattle was recognized as a disease equivalent to tuberculosis. |
| 1921 Sci. Amer. 12 Mar. 213/3 ‘Essence d'Orient’ was easily manufactured, which was readily given the name of ‘*pearl essence’ by the Bureau of Fisheries. 1946 Simonds & Bregman Finishing Metal Products (ed. 2) xxviii. 279 Pearl essence is used to substitute for metal powder finishes on everything from women's compacts and cosmetic containers to heavy industrial equipment and machinery. 1961 Soap, Perfumery & Cosmetics XXXIV. 60/3 By crushing or pulverising, natural and synthetic pearl essences lose part of their brilliance and become dull or greyish. 1972 P. G. I. Lauffer in Balsam & Sagarin Cosmetics (ed. 2) I. xii. 370 Natural pearlessence, consisting of a castor oil suspension of guanine crystals prepared from fish scales, produces a beautiful pearly luster when added to lipsticks. |
| 1844 Hoblyn Dict. Terms Med., *Pearl-eye,..old..name of cataract. 1891 Daily News 13 Nov. 7/1 The points were..good profile, the cere or ring round the eye, pearl eye, compactness, and good colouring. |
| 1755 Johnson, *Pearl-eyed, having a speck in the eye. 1864 Webster, Pearl-eyed..affected with the cataract. |
| 1591 Sylvester Du Bartas i. v. 370 While the *Pearl-fish gaping wide doth glister, Much Fry (allurd with the bright silver lustre Of her rich Casket) flocks into the Nacre. 1797 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) XIV. 72/2 Very little is known of the natural history of the pearl fish. 1905 D. S. Jordan Guide to Study of Fishes II. xxix. 522 In the little group of pearl-fishes, called Fierasferidæ Carapidæ, the body is eel-shaped with a rather large head. 1972 J. Binyon Physiol. of Echinoderms vi. 72 The famous pearl fish Carapus (= Fierasfer) bermudiensis..seems to live indefinitely in the cloaca and respiratory trees of this holothurian without ill-effect. |
| 1847 Johnston in Proc. Berw. Nat. Club II. No. 5. 226 The grub[s] or larvæ of the Hemerobiidæ or *pearl-flies. |
| 1880 Libr. Univ. Knowl. (N.Y.) IX. 486 Margarite, or Pearl Mica, called also corundellite,..*pearl⁓glimmer. |
| 1769 Mrs. Raffald Eng. Housekpr. (1778) 321 To make Pearl Gooseberry Wine. Take as many of the best *pearl gooseberries when ripe as you please. |
| 1858 Simmonds Dict. Trade 279/2 The troy ounce contains 600 *pearl grains, and hence one pearl grain is 4-5ths of a troy grain. |
| 1871 Specif. Dann's Patent No. 2237. 2 To obtain *pearl-hardening..for the manufacture of paper or papier mâché. |
| 1840 Penny Cycl. XVII. 340/1 Numida Meleagris..the..*Pearl Hen, Guinea Hen, [or] common Guinea Fowl..is..well known. |
| 1710 T. Fuller Pharm. Extemp. 404 Its use is for the making up of *Pearl Juleps. |
| 1820 F. Mohs Charact. Nat. Hist. Syst. Min. 53 *Pearl-Mica. Rhombohedral. 1880 [see pearl-glimmer]. |
| 1832 Loudon's Gardener's Mag. VIII. 94 Sold in Covent Garden Market under the names of oak lungs, carrageen, or Irish *pearl moss. |
| 1600–10 Sylvester Woodmans Bear lvii, Her knuckles dight With curled Roses, and her nailes With *pearle-muscles' shining scales. 1854 H. Miller Sch. & Schm. x. (1858) 201 When the river was low, I used to wade into its fords in quest of its pearl muscles. |
| 1578 Lyte Dodoens ii. civ. 290 Cromel,..some name it also *Pearle plante. 1864 Prior Plant-n. (1879) 179 Pearl-plant, from its smooth hard pearly seed, the gromwell, Lithospermum officinale. |
| 1825 J. Nicholson Operat. Mechanic 483 The *pearl pottery is a superb kind for elegant and tasteful ornaments, and is so much valued, that the workmen are usually locked up, and employed only on choice articles. The components of the clay are blue and porcelain clay, Cornish-stone, a little glass, and red-lead. |
| 1632 Sherwood, *Pearl-powder, margariton. 1802 M. Edgeworth Mor. T., Gd. Fr. Governess (1832) 125 Ladies..who..wear pearl powder, and false auburn hair. |
| 1826 Miss Mitford Village Ser. ii. (1863) 294 Plumed, and trained, and spangled, *pearl-powdered, or rouged. 1883 Truth 31 May 757/2 The face of a lady properly pearl-powdered. |
| 1841 Penny Cycl. XX. 313/1 Of this granulated sago there are two varieties, the common or brown sago, and *pearl sago. |
| 1859 Yarrell Brit. Fishes (ed. 3) I. 331 The designation of *Pearl-side is now substituted for that of Argentine. |
| 1821 Ure Dict. Chem., *Pearl Sinter, or Fiorite, a variety of siliceous sinter. Colours white and grey. 1868 Dana Min. (ed. 5) 199. |
| 1731 Medley Kolben's Cape G. Hope II. 211 The shells of the *Pearl⁓snails are frequently cast ashore by the sea. |
| 1807 Aikin Dict. Chem. II. 205 *Pearl-spar. 1843 Portlock Geol. 208 Calcedony..disposed on pearl spar. 1854 J. Scoffern in Orr's Circ. Sc., Chem. 19 The primitive angle of pearl-spar is 106° 5{p}. |
| 1470–1 Mem. Ripon (Surtees) III. 216 *Perle⁓spice, 6d. |
| 1693 Phil. Trans. XVII. 620 *Pearl-Tree of Surinam, which is a kind of Euonymus. |
| 1893 Syd. Soc. Lex., *Pearl tumour, a name for Cholesteatoma; also, for Psammoma; also, for Pearl disease. |
| 1887 Nicholson Dict. Gard., Sagina..*Pearl Weed; Pearlwort. |
| 1779 J. Wedgwood Let. 19 June (1965) 236, I thank her majesty for the honor she has done to the *Pearl White, and hope it will have due influence upon all her loyal subjects. 1822–34 Good's Study Med. (ed. 4) I. 148 The white oxide of bismuth, now more generally known as a cosmetic under the name of pearl-white. 1858 Simmonds Dict. Trade, Pearl-white, a colour; a powder made from nitrate of bismuth, and sometimes used by ladies as a cosmetic. 1866 E. Meteyard Life J. Wedgwood II. x. 482 An Italian order furnishes the accompanying tureen and plate in pearl-white ware. 1872 Symonds Introd. Study Dante 173 The pearl-white rose that opens to the rays of God's immediate glory. 1884 [see creation 5 c]. 1914 G. Frankau Tid'apa (1915) vi. 34 Pearl-white 'gainst the darkling lustre at the black-pearl plinth of the capes. 1937 V. Woolf Years 295 The road stretched pearl-white in front of them. 1956 G. Durrell My Family xvi. 218 The curve of pearl-white sand was backed by the great lily-covered dune behind. |
▪ II. † pearl, n.2 Obs. [Goes with pearl v.2 q.v.] A clearing preparation for wine.
| 1682 Art & Myst. Vintners & Wine-Coopers 3 If your Canary hath a flying Lee, and will not find down, draw him into a fresh Butt or Pipe with fresh Lees, and give him a good pearl with the whites of 8 Eggs, and beat them with a handful of white Salt. Ibid. 16 A Pearl for Muskadine. Ibid., Then beat your Butt an hour; then put in your Pearl. Ibid. 43 The same Pearl serves for White Wine. |
▪ III. pearl, n.3 ?
Obs. (
pɜːl)
[perh. a transposed form of prill, pryll, a 15th c. var. of brill1; but prob. associated in colour or otherwise with pearl n.1] A local name of the fish
brill.
| a 1672 Willughby Icthyogr. (1686) Tab. F. 1 Rhombus non aculeatus Squamosus, a Pearle Londinensibus. 1753 Chambers Cycl. Supp., Pearl, in ichthyology, a name given by us in the parts about London, to that fish which is called in..the west of England, lug-a-leaf. 1762 Chron. in Ann. Reg. 148 Fish brought..867 Brill or Pearl. 1803 Rees Cycl. s.v. Bret, The pearl..likewise obtains the name of bret in some parts of the country. |
▪ IV. pearl, n.4 (
pɜːl)
[app. another form of purl, q.v.] One of a row of fine loops forming a decorative edging on pillow-lace, braid, ribbon, gold-lace, etc. Chiefly in
Comb., as
pearl-edge,
pearl-loop,
pearl-purl,
pearl-tie: see
quots. The oldest spelling seems to be
purl,
app. connected with
purl v.
1, but whilst this has become established technically in the machine-made lace trade, popular etymology seems to favour the spelling
pearl,
prob. because the ornamental loops somewhat resemble an edging of pearl-drops.
| 1824 Miss Mitford Village Ser. i. (1863) 214, I could not always control a certain wandering inclination for figured patterns and pearl edges. If Mossy had an aversion to any thing, it was to a pearl edge. 1831 Porter Silk Manuf. 230 Ribands are frequently ornamented by having what is called a pearl-edge given to them. 1844 G. Dodd Textile Manuf. vii. 228 A ‘pearl edge’, or something similar, is sewn on by hand round every edge. 1869 F. B. Palliser Hist. Lace iii. 26 The flowers are connected by irregular threads overcast (buttonhole stitch), and sometimes worked over with pearl loops (picot). To these uniting threads, called by our lace-makers ‘pearl ties’—old Randle Holme styles them ‘coxcombs’—the Italians give the name of ‘legs’, the French that of ‘brides’. 1880 Jamieson, Pearl, a kind of ornamental lace used for edging; called also pearl-lace. 1886 Cassell's Encycl. Dict., Pearl-purl, a gold cord of twisted wire, resembling a small row of beads strung closely together. It is used for the edging of bullion embroidery. |
▪ V. pearl, v.1 (
pɜːl)
[f. pearl n.1 or immed. a. F. perler, f. perle. Both in Fr. and Eng. the first part found is the pa. pple. (perlé, pearled), which may have been formed directly from the n.] 1. trans. To adorn, set, or stud with or as with pearls, or with mother-of-pearl. (Only in
pa. pple.)
| c 1386 Chaucer Miller's T. 65 A purs of lether Tasseled with grene [v.r. 5 MSS. silk] and perled with latoun. 1538 Elyot Dict., Clauus is a garment pirled [1545 pyrled] or powdred with spangles, lyke nayles heedes. 1564 Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 308 Ane cowip..with ane cover peirlit with cristallyne within. 1593 Nashe Christ's T. (1613) 144 Women (seeing them so sumptuously pearled & bespangled). 1839 Bailey Festus iii. (1852) 25 The pictured moon Pearled round with stars. |
2. To sprinkle with pearly drops.
| 1595 B. Barnes Spir. Sonn. lxxx, A morning-dew perling the grasse beneath. c 1595 Southwell St. Peter's Compl. 21 You..trees, With purest gummes perfume and pearle your ryne. 1632 Quarles Div. Fancies i. xviii, The Dew that pearls the morning grass. a 1821 Keats Calidore 90 The evening dew had pearl'd their tresses. |
3. To furnish (a stag's horns) with pearls. Only in
pa. pple.| 1575 Turberv. Venerie 53 When the beame is great, burnished and well pearled. |
4. To make pearly in colour or lustre; to suffuse with a pearly light or hue.
| 18.. Moir Snow xi, Chain up the billows as they roll, And pearl the caves with light. 1846 Ruskin Mod. Paint. (1851) I. ii. ii. ii §14 All the other whites of his picture are pearled down with grey or gold. 1874 Symonds Sk. Italy & Greece (1898) I. iv. 71 The peaked hills, blue and pearled with clouds. |
5. a. To convert or reduce (barley, sago, etc.) into the shape of small round pearls.
| 1600, etc. [see pearled ppl. a.1 3]. 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 1080 s.v. Sago, The starchy matter..is..pressed through a metal sieve to corn it (which is called pearling), and then dried. 1883 C. H. Farnham in Harper's Mag. Aug. 383/2 The barley for soup is pearled in a large wooden mortar with a pestle shaped like a pickaxe. |
b. To refine (potassium carbonate) in the preparation of pearl-ash.
| 1850 Rep. Comm. Patents 1849 (U.S.) I. 176 The process of first roasting or heating the ashes..and then pearling in the pearling oven. |
6. To cover (comfits) with a coating of ‘pearl’ sugar: see
pearl n.1 13. Also
intr. for refl.| 1883 R. Haldane Workshop Receipts Ser. ii. 162/2 They will be whiter and better, if partly pearled one day and finished the next. Ibid., Put some of the prepared comfits in the pan, but not too many at a time, as it is difficult to get them to pearl alike. |
7. intr. To form pearl-like drops or beads.
| 1595 Spenser Col. Clout 507 With siluer deaw vpon the roses pearling. c 1626 Dick of Devon. iv. i. in Bullen O. Pl. II. 62 A cold sweat pearld in dropps all ore my body. 1727 Bradley Fam. Dict. s.v. Brewing, It flushes violently out of the Cock,..and then stops on a sudden and pearls and smiles in a glass like any bottled beer. 1891 Cornh. Mag. Apr. 379 The perspiration pearls down your face. |
8. intr. a. To seek or fish for pearls.
| 1639 [see pearling vbl. n. 1]. 1886 Pall Mall G. 25 Aug. 11/1 An Act specially dealing with the natives pearling. 1896 Kipling Seven Seas, Lost Legion (1897) 97 We've pearled on half-shares in the Bay. |
b. Surfing. (See
quots.)
| 1962 [see pearling vbl. n. 4]. 1967 J. Severson Great Surfing Gloss., Pearl or pearling, while riding, the nose of the surfboard goes beneath the surface and continues downward, usually throwing the rider off (originally taken from pearl diving). 1970 Studies in English (Univ. Cape Town) I. 31 A milder form of wipe-out occurs when the surfboard pearls, in other words, the nose of the surfboard knifes under the water surface, usually throwing the surfer off. Variations on this expression include to pearl-dive, to nose, and to plough. 1971 Ibid. II. 27 If he is too far forward on the board the nose may dig in and the board pearl (shortened form of pearl-dive). |
▪ VI. † pearl, v.2 Obs. [Goes with pearl n.2; app. from pearl n.1, in reference to clearness and pellucidness.] trans. ? To render clear and pellucid; to clarify (wine) with a clearing preparation.
| 1682 Art & Myst. Vintners & Wine-Coopers 10 As you pearl your Muskadine, so you must your Malmosey, but use not the Whites of Eggs. |
▪ VII. pearl, v.3 [cf. purl v.1] ‘To edge with lace’ (Jamieson 1880). See
pearled ppl. a.
2▪ VIII. pearl variant of
purl v.
and n. in knitting.