drop earring
1
3.2
- noun
- Burmese pearl drop earrings.
- diamond drop earrings
- gold drop earrings
- platinum drop earrings
Examples
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Her outfit was complete with beautiful crystal drop earrings that enhanced her look.
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So I can either go with my little Jennifer Burr like Pearl drop earrings and they have a little pinky, pinky bit like that.
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She wore stunning diamond drop earrings that sparkled in the light.
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For the gala, he chose to accessorize his suit with elegant silver drop earrings.
Synonyms
236
1.0
A small piece of jewelry worn on the ear and attached to the earlobe with a pin or clip
1
3.7
A piece of jewellery that hangs from the ear with a small decoration
1
7.5
An earring with a small piece that hangs down
How Long
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an earring designed to hang below the earlobe' is transparently composed from 'drop' (to hang or droop) modifying 'earring' — a clear modifier+noun pattern indicating an earring that hangs or dangles. This construction follows ordinary English compounding and has close cross-linguistic parallels (e.g. 'dangle/pendant earring'), so a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
Drop earring may come from the simple image of a small ornament that seems to drop down from the earring and hang like a tiny pendant. Because it hangs below the earlobe and moves, the term now means 'an earring that hangs below the ear'.