pearly

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pearl·y / ˈpərlē/ • adj. (pearl·i·er, pearl·i·est) resembling a pearl in luster or color: the pearly light of a clear, still dawn. ∎  containing or adorned with pearls or mother-of-pearl.PHRASES: pearly whites inf. a person's teeth.DERIVATIVES: pearl·i·ness / -lēnis/ n.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

pearly

views updated May 08 2018

pearly Of mineral lustre, milky, translucent, like a pearl.

A Dictionary of Earth Sciences AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY

pearly

views updated May 29 2018

pearly Pearly Gates informal name for the gates of heaven; the term is first recorded in a hymn by Isaac Watts (1674–1748), and refers originally to Revelation 21:21.
pearly king (also pearly queen), a London costermonger wearing traditional ceremonial clothes covered with pearl buttons.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

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