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Meaning & use

jewel case

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈdʒuːəl keɪs/
US/ˈdʒuːəl keɪs/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    The thin, clear plastic box with a hinged lid that holds a compact disc and its printed booklet.

    Grammar: Countable: a jewel case, two jewel cases.

    Patterns

    • a jewel case for something
    • a cracked jewel case

    The hinge of the jewel case snapped when I dropped it.

    She slid the new album's booklet out of the jewel case and read the lyrics.

    He kept his old CDs in their original jewel cases on a long shelf.

  2. nouncountable

    A small decorated box or container in which jewellery is stored or displayed.

    Grammar: Countable; this sense is a plain description rather than a fixed term.

    Patterns

    • a jewel case with something
    • a jewel case of something

    Her grandmother kept pearls in a velvet jewel case.

    The museum displayed a gold jewel case from the royal collection.

    He gave her a wooden jewel case lined with silk for her birthday.

Word forms

pluraljewel cases

Common combinations

cracked jewel case
A cracked jewel case can still protect the disc inside.
open the jewel case
Open the jewel case gently by pressing the center tab.
CD jewel case
A CD jewel case is the standard packaging for an album.
slim jewel case
A slim jewel case saves shelf space for large collections.
replace the jewel case
You can replace the jewel case if the original gets scratched.

Synonyms and how they differ

CD case
CD case is the plain everyday name and may also cover cardboard sleeves, while jewel case means the hard plastic kind.
disc case
Disc case is a wider term that can include DVD and game cases as well as jewel cases.
sleeve
Sleeve usually means a thin paper or card cover and offers far less protection than a jewel case.

Word family

jewel noun
a precious stone
jeweler noun
a person who makes or sells jewelry
jewelry noun
decorative items worn on the body
jeweled adjective
decorated with jewels

Commonly confused: jewel case or jewelry box?

jewel case vs jewelry box

A jewelry box is where rings and necklaces are kept, whereas the music sense of jewel case holds a disc.

Practice

Which item would you most likely keep inside a jewel case in the music sense?

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