Pearl (given name)
WordNet
noun
(1) A shade of white the color of bleached bones
(2) A smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam or oyster; much valued as a jewel
(3) A shape that is spherical and small
"He studied the shapes of low-viscosity drops"
"Beads of sweat on his forehead"
verb
(4) Gather pearls, from oysters in the ocean
WiktionaryText
Proper noun
- from the English noun pearl.
Quotations
- 1850 Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, Chapter VI:
- Her Pearl!—For so had Hester called her; not as a name expressive of her aspect, which had nothing of the calm, white, unimpassioned lustre that would be indicated by the comparison. But she named the infant "Pearl," as being of great price,—purchased with all she had,—her mother's only treasure!
- 1992 Karen Kijewski, Kat's Cradle, page 7:
- "What was your name?"
- "Pearl." Ruby and Pearl, mother and daughter. " It's an ugly name, isn't it?"
- "No, it isn't". And I meant it, it wasn't. "Old-fashioned, perhaps, but nice."
- She stared at me. "Do you know what pearls are? They're ugliness: dirt or sand gets in an oyster and the oyster coats it over so that it won't be irritating."