pearl

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun

n. a small but very useful piece of advice or information.

n. a succinct and valuable piece of information or advice; often used in the idiom 'pearls of wisdom'.

“My grandfather shared a few pearls of wisdom about saving money for the future.”

“The keynote speaker offered several pearls of wisdom regarding leadership that resonated deeply with the young entrepreneurs in the audience.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Literary

n. a person or thing that is very special, beautiful, or highly valued.

n. a person or thing considered to be of great rarity, beauty, or value.

“The small island is the pearl of the Mediterranean.”

“Historians often refer to the restored library as the pearl of the city's architectural heritage.”

C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Printing Technical · Archaic

n. a very small size of printed text.

n. a historical standard size of type, approximately 5 points in height.

“The old book was printed in pearl type, making it very difficult to read.”

“The footnotes in the nineteenth-century manuscript were set in pearl, requiring a magnifying glass for clear legibility.”

C1 · Advanced Literary

v. to form small, round drops like pearls.

v. to form into small, round, pearl-like drops or beads; often used of sweat or dew.

“Small drops of morning dew pearled on the rose petals.”

“Sweat pearled on the athlete's forehead as he prepared for the final sprint of the marathon.”

C1 · Advanced Sports Informal

v. to accidentally push the front of a surfboard under the water.

v. to unintentionally bury the nose of a surfboard in the water, typically during the takeoff on a wave.

“I tried to catch the big wave but I pearled and fell off my board.”

“If you lean too far forward during the drop-in, you are likely to pearl and get tossed by the whitewater.”