jewellery

the word 'jewellery' narrates a journey from playful ornament to a category of precious adornments. its core, 'jewel', originates from the latin 'jocus', meaning 'game' or 'plaything', which evolved in old french to denote a costly trinket or gem. the addition of the collective suffix '-ery', also of old french origin, transforms the singular object into a general term for the class of such decorative items. thus, the modern abstract meaning of personal ornaments, especially those made from precious materials, logically extends from the notion of 'a collection of playthings or prized objects'.

Structure: jewel + lery jewel (from anglo-norman 'juel', old french 'jouel', meaning 'plaything; ornament') + lery (a variant of the suffix '-ery', from old french '-erie', denoting a class of items, a place for, or a collective sense).