Pearl

proper noun

1. 1

   A unisex given name from English. A female given name from English.

   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!

   "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."

2. 2

   rareA unisex given name from English. A male given name from English.

3. 3

   A surname from English.

4. 4

   A placename: A major river in Guangdong, China; in full, the Pearl River.

   The only news of interest brought by the Calcutta and China mail is that the river Pearl, in Southern China, had been explored by a party of the British to the distance of 195 miles.

   The Pearl is a river system in southern China.

5. 5

   Variant of Pearl RiverA placename: Short for Pearl River (Etymology 2): a river in Mississippi and Louisiana, which empties into the Gulf of Mexico,

6. 6

   Variant of Pearl HarborA placename: Ellipsis of Pearl Harbor: a harbor in Oahu, Hawaii, United States, in the Pacific Ocean.

Forms

plural

Pearls