*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Pearl

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 (“pear

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
name

A female given name from English. · A male given name from English. · A surname from English. · A major river in Guangdong, China; in full, the Pearl River.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mention珠江zh
  • Calque mention珠zh
  • Derivation mentionWai Momihaw · pearl water
  • Calque mentionmomihaw

This page abbreviates 2 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "sense",
      "args": {
        "1": "river in China"
      },
      "expansion": "(river in China):"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zh",
        "3": "珠江",
        "4": "",
        "5": "Pearl River",
        "tr": "Zhūjiāng, Zyu1 Gong1"
      },
      "expansion": "Chinese 珠江 (Zhūjiāng, Zyu1 Gong1, “Pearl River”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "calque",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zh",
        "3": "珠",
        "4": "",
        "5": "pearl",
        "tr": "zhū, zyu1",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "calque of Chinese 珠 (zhū, zyu1, “pearl”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "sense",
      "args": {
        "1": "haven in Hawaii"
      },
      "expansion": "(haven in Hawaii):"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "haw",
        "3": "Wai Momi",
        "t": "pearl water"
      },
      "expansion": "Hawaiian Wai Momi (“pearl water”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "calque",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "haw",
        "3": "momi",
        "4": "",
        "5": "pearl",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "calque of Hawaiian momi (“pearl”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "pearl",
      "pearl#English"
    ],
    [
      "珠江",
      "珠江#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "珠",
      "珠#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "Wai Momi",
      "Wai Momi#Hawaiian"
    ],
    [
      "momi",
      "momi#Hawaiian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A female given name from English.",
        "A male given name from English.",
        "A surname from English.",
        "A major river in Guangdong, China; in full, the Pearl River."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable",
        "rare"
      ],
      "recordId": "d7806d38d2efacb4f1484c11e82d66887665192afb1d69f8565ef49f6a94bdfe",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f8740a4a0ff06b1ca72f8299b483e37391f03a434cabe29f4c0c5eb6921e51b7",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 331199
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 2,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Pearl →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-UGVhcmw