Unnumbered source etymology
Original entry ↗To set or adorn with pearls, or with mother-of-pearl. · To cause to resemble pearls in shape; to make into small round grains. · To cause to resemble pearls in lustre or iridescence. · To resemble pearl or pearls.
Nacre; mother-of-pearl. · A white color inspired by the shade of pearls. · Something precious. · A capsule of gelatin or similar substance containing liquid for, e.g., medicinal application.
Inherited from Middle English perle, from Old French perle of uncertain etymology. Probably via unattested Medieval Latin *pernula, from Latin perna (“haunch; a marine bivalve shaped like a leg of lamb”) but also derived from Medieval Latin perla, from Latin perula (“little bag”). Its typographic use follows the name given by Jean Jannon to the type used in his miniature editions of Vergil, Horace & the New Testament in the 1620s, which were the smallest printed works to his time. Its surfing use derives from the supposed resemblance to pearl diving.
Relationships mentioned by the source
These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.
This page abbreviates 17 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.
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"To set or adorn with pearls, or with mother-of-pearl.",
"To cause to resemble pearls in shape; to make into small round grains.",
"To cause to resemble pearls in lustre or iridescence.",
"To resemble pearl or pearls."
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