Etymology

guild

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Today it means: A group or association mainly of tradespeople made up of merchants, craftspeople, or artisans, particularly in the Middle Ages, established to oversee and protect their specific commercial interests and to provide mutual aid. Full definition →

Middle English gilde ← Old Norse gildi
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The story

  1. Old Norse · derived fromgildi“payment, guild”
  2. Middle English · inherited fromgilde
  3. English todayguild

From Middle English gilde, from Old Norse gildi (“payment, guild”). Related to geld, yield, yauld.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.