jades

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of jade.

   Collectors prize the deep-colored jades unearthed near ancient burial sites.

   The jeweler arranged a tray of polished jades beside the pearls.

   Note

   Mostly the stone is a mass noun, so the plural appears when pieces or kinds are being counted: carved jades, polished jades, the deep-green jades of a collection. The color and the succulent Crassula ovata work the same way. The older nouns were fully countable and pluralize freely: jades were horses too old to work or, as a derogatory word, bad-tempered or disreputable women.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of jade.

   Constant exposure to bad news jades the seasoned reporter over time.

   Repetition jades the palate, so the chef varies the menu each season.

   Note

   A transitive form that always needs an object: routine jades the mind, and repetition jades the palate. Wearying is the only living meaning. Two older uses, to spurn and to make contemptible and ridiculous, are obsolete, and both come from treating someone like a jade, the worn-out horse or disreputable woman. The noun plural has the same spelling, so only its role in the sentence tells the two apart.

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