From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
pearl
n 1: a smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam
or oyster; much valued as a jewel
2: a shade of white the color of bleached bones [syn: bone,
ivory, off-white]
3: a shape that is small and round; "he studied the shapes of
low-viscosity drops"; "beads of sweat on his forehead"
[syn: drop, bead]
v : gather pearls, from oysters in the ocean
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Pearl \Pearl\ (p[~e]rl), n.
A fringe or border. [Obs.] -- v. t. To fringe; to border.
[Obs.] See Purl.
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Pearl stitch. See Purl stitch, under Purl.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Pearl \Pearl\, n. [OE. perle, F. perle, LL. perla, perula,
probably fr. (assumed) L. pirulo, dim. of L. pirum a pear.
See Pear, and cf. Purl to mantle.]
1. (Zool.) A shelly concretion, usually rounded, and having a
brilliant luster, with varying tints, found in the mantle,
or between the mantle and shell, of certain bivalve
mollusks, especially in the pearl oysters and river
mussels, and sometimes in certain univalves. It is usually
due to a secretion of shelly substance around some
irritating foreign particle. Its substance is the same as
nacre, or mother-of-pearl.
Note: Pearls which are round, or nearly round, and of fine
luster, are highly esteemed as jewels, and at one time
compared in value with the precious stones. Since
development of cultured pearls, the relative value has
diminished somewhat, though the best pearls are still
expensive, and natural pearls even more so. Artificial
pearls may be made of various materials, including
material similar to that of natural pearls; these are
less expensive than natural or cultured pearls. See
cultured pearl, below.
[1913 Webster +PJC]
2. Hence, figuratively, something resembling a pearl;
something very precious.
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I see thee compassed with thy kingdom's pearl.
--Shak.
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And those pearls of dew she wears. --Milton.
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3. Nacre, or mother-of-pearl.
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4. (Zool.) A fish allied to the turbot; the brill.
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5. (Zool.) A light-colored tern.
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6. (Zool.) One of the circle of tubercles which form the bur
on a deer's antler.
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7. A whitish speck or film on the eye. [Obs.] --Milton.
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8. A capsule of gelatin or similar substance containing some
liquid for medicinal application, as ether.
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9. (Print.) A size of type, between agate and diamond.
[1913 Webster] [hand] This line is printed in the type
called pearl.
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Ground pearl. (Zool.) See under Ground.
Pearl barley, kernels of barley, ground so as to form
small, round grains.
Pearl diver, one who dives for pearl oysters.
Pearl edge, an edge of small loops on the side of some
kinds of ribbon; also, a narrow kind of thread edging to
be sewed on lace.
Pearl eye, cataract. [R.]
Pearl gray, a very pale and delicate blue-gray color.
Pearl millet, Egyptian millet (Penicillaria spicata).
Pearl moss. See Carrageen.
Pearl moth (Zool.), any moth of the genus Margaritia; --
so called on account of its pearly color.
Pearl oyster (Zool.), any one of several species of large
tropical marine bivalve mollusks of the genus
Meleagrina, or Margaritifera, found in the East Indies
(especially at Ceylon), in the Persian Gulf, on the coast
of Australia, and on the Pacific coast of America. Called
also pearl shell, and pearl mussel.
Pearl powder. See Pearl white, below.
Pearl sago, sago in the form of small pearly grains.
Pearl sinter (Min.), fiorite.
Pearl spar (Min.), a crystallized variety of dolomite,
having a pearly luster.
Pearl white.
(a) Basic bismuth nitrate, or bismuth subchloride; -- used
chiefly as a cosmetic.
(b) A variety of white lead blued with indigo or Berlin
blue.
cultured pearl, a pearl grown by a pearl oyster into which
a round pellet has been placed, to serve as the seed for
more predictable growth of the pearl. The pellet is
usually made from mother-of-pearl, and additional layers
of nacre are deposited onto the seed by the oyster. Such
pearls, being more easily obtained than natural pearls
from wild oysters, are less expensive.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Pearl \Pearl\ (p[~e]rl), a.
Of or pertaining to pearl or pearls; made of pearls, or of
mother-of-pearl.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Pearl \Pearl\, v. t.
1. To set or adorn with pearls, or with mother-of-pearl. Used
also figuratively.
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2. To cause to resemble pearls; to make into small round
grains; as, to pearl barley.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Pearl \Pearl\, v. i.
1. To resemble pearl or pearls.
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2. To dive or hunt for pearls; as, to go pearling.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Brill \Brill\, n. [Cf. Corn. brilli mackerel, fr. brith
streaked, speckled.] (Zool.)
A fish allied to the turbot (Rhombus levis), much esteemed
in England for food; -- called also bret, pearl, prill.
See Bret.
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From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (19 Sep 2003) [foldoc]:
PEARL
1. <language, mathematics> A language for {constructive
mathematics} developed by Constable at Cornell University in
the 1980s.
2. <language, real-time> {Process and Experiment Automation
Real-Time Language}.
3. <language, education> One of five pedagogical languages
based on Markov algorithms, used in "Nonpareil, a Machine
Level Machine Independent Language for the Study of
Semantics", B. Higman, ULICS Intl Report No ICSI 170, U London
(1968). Compare Brilliant, Diamond, Nonpareil, Ruby.
4. <language> A multilevel language developed by Brian Randell
ca 1970 and mentioned in "Machine Oriented Higher Level
Languages", W. van der Poel, N-H 1974.
5. <language, tool, history> An obsolete term for {Larry
Wall}'s PERL programming language, which never fell into
common usage other than in typographical errors. The missing
'a' remains as an atrophied remnant in the expansion
"Practical Extraction and Report Language".
["Programming Perl", Larry Wall and Randal L. Schwartz,
O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. Sebastopol, CA. ISBN
0-93715-64-1].
(2000-08-16)