pearl
n. countablen. a hard, shiny, white ball that grows inside the shell of an oyster. It is very valuable and people often wear them as jewelry.
n. a smooth, lustrous, typically rounded mass formed within the shell of a pearl oyster or other bivalve mollusk. It is composed of calcium carbonate deposited in concentric layers around an irritating particle.
She wears a beautiful pearl necklace.
The diver searched the ocean floor for hours, hoping to find a wild pearl inside an oyster.
Natural pearls are exceptionally rare, as they require a specific biological reaction to a parasite or organic debris, unlike the more common cultured varieties found in modern jewelry stores.
From pearl. * (river in China): From Chinese 珠江 (Zhūjiāng, Zyu1 Gong1, “Pearl River”); calque of Chinese 珠 (zhū, zyu1, “pearl”). * (haven in Hawaii): From Hawaiian Wai Momi (“pearl water”); calque of Hawaiian momi (“pearl”).
Often used as a modifier before other nouns, such as 'pearl earrings' or 'pearl diver'.