Jewel and joule are two words that are pronounced in the same way but are spelled differently and have different meanings, which makes them homophones. We will examine the definitions of jewel and joule, where these words came from and some examples of their use in sentences.
A jewel is a gem, a precious stone that has been cut and polished and is used as adornment or as a bearing in a compass or a watch. Jewel is also used figuratively to mean a special and valuable person or thing. The word jewel is derived from the Old French word jouel which means gem or ornament.
A joule is a unit of energy equal to one newton when it acts upon an object in the direction of motion across one meter. A joule is equivalent to one 3600th of a watt-hour. The word joule is derived from James Prescott Joule, a mathematician and physicist whose work led to the first law of thermodynamics.
Examples
If you can take your eyes off the layered, flower-like, fabric-dotted gown by the event’s honoree, Comme des Garcons designer Rei Kawakubo, you may notice her jewels. (Forbes Magazine)
What began as a flood control project in the Midvalley eventually became one of the crown jewels in the county park system. (The Scranton Times-Tribune)
All of the nuclear bombs on Earth are only have the force of 2.67 x 10^19 joules, and it’d be impossible to build the one quadrillion bombs needed to do the job. (Popular Mechanics)
There is a person who actually broke down the number of calories and joules and how much energy we would actually need to burn down one calorie doing something as simple as clicking the mouse. (GQ India)