Meanings
gild1
present singular third person gilds · participle present gilding · participle past gilded · past gilded · participle past gilt · past gilt
- transitiveTo cover with a thin layer of gold; to cover with gold leaf.
High above the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the Happy Prince. He was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold, for eyes he had two bright sapphires, and a large red ruby glowed on his sword-hilt.
1888 May, Oscar Wilde, “The Happy Prince”, in The Happy Prince and Other Tales, London: David Nutt, […], →OCLC, page 1 - transitiveTo adorn.
I will make fast the doors, and gild myself With some more ducats, and be with you straight.
c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene vi] - transitivecookingTo decorate with a golden surface appearance.
Gild the entire outside with beaten egg yolk, and sprinkle it with grated parmesan.
2008, Ivan P. Day, Cooking in Europe, 1650-1850, page 98 - transitiveTo give a bright or pleasing aspect to.
When sparkling stars twire not, thou gild'st the even.
1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 28”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC - transitiveTo give a brilliant colour or flush to one's face; (also) to make appear drunk.
[Alonso] And Trinculo is reeling-ripe: vvhere sſhould they Finde this grand Liquor that hath gilded'em? Hovv cam'ſt thou in this pickle?
1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], page 18, column 2
gild2
plural gilds
- archaicArchaic spelling of guild.
No trade gild might be started without the consent of the whole body of hanasters, who would insist that the regulations were not harmful to the burgesses as a whole; […]
1920, H. E. Salter, Munimenta Civitatis Oxonie, volume 71, page xxviii
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna formal association of people with similar interests
verbdecorate with, or as if with, gold leaf or liquid gold
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*gulþą“gold”
- Proto-Germanic*gulþijaną
- Proto-West Germanic*gulþijan
- Old Englishgyldan“to gild, to cover with a thin layer of gold”
- Middle Englishgilden
- Englishgild
From Middle English gilden, gulden, from Old English gyldan (“to gild, to cover with a thin layer of gold”), from Proto-West Germanic *gulþijan, from Proto-Germanic *gulþijaną, from Proto-Germanic *gulþą (“gold”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek χρυσόω
- χρυσόω (khrusóō)to cover with a thin layer of gold
Arabic ذَهَّبَ
- ذَهَّبَ (ḏahhaba)to cover with a thin layer of gold
Bulgarian позлатявам, украсявам
- позлатявам (pozlatjavam)to cover with a thin layer of gold
- украсявам (ukrasjavam)to adorn
Catalan daurar
- daurarto cover with a thin layer of gold
Czech zlatit, pozlatit
- zlatitto cover with a thin layer of gold
- pozlatitto cover with a thin layer of gold
Danish forgylde
- forgyldeto cover with a thin layer of gold
Dutch vergulden, verfraaien
- verguldento cover with a thin layer of gold
- verfraaiento adorn
- opsmukkento adorn
Esperanto orumi
- orumito cover with a thin layer of gold
Finnish kullata
- kullatato cover with a thin layer of gold
French dorer
- dorerto cover with a thin layer of gold
German vergolden, schmücken
- vergoldento cover with a thin layer of gold
- schmückento adorn
Hungarian bearanyoz
- bearanyozto cover with a thin layer of gold
Irish óraigh
- óraighto cover with a thin layer of gold
Italian indorare, dorare
- indorareto cover with a thin layer of gold
- dorareto cover with a thin layer of gold
- adornareto adorn
- abbellireto adorn
- indorareto give a bright or pleasing aspect to
Latin aurō, deaurō
- aurōto cover with a thin layer of gold
- deaurōto cover with a thin layer of gold
- inaurōto cover with a thin layer of gold
Polish pozłacać
- pozłacaćto cover with a thin layer of gold
Portuguese dourar
- dourarto cover with a thin layer of gold
Romanian auri
- aurito cover with a thin layer of gold
Russian золоти́ть, позолоти́ть
- золоти́ть (zolotítʹ)to cover with a thin layer of gold
- позолоти́ть (pozolotítʹ)to cover with a thin layer of gold
- украша́ть (ukrašátʹ)to adorn
- укра́сить (ukrásitʹ)to adorn
Scottish Gaelic òr, òraich
- òrto cover with a thin layer of gold
- òraichto cover with a thin layer of gold
Spanish dorar, dorar
- dorarto cover with a thin layer of gold
- dorarto give a bright or pleasing aspect to
Swedish förgylla
- förgyllato cover with a thin layer of gold
Thai ปิดทอง
- ปิดทอง (pìd-tɔɔng)to cover with a thin layer of gold
Turkish yaldızlamak, süslemek
- yaldızlamakto cover with a thin layer of gold
- süslemekto adorn
Ukrainian золоти́ти, позоло́чувати
- золоти́ти (zolotýty)to cover with a thin layer of gold
- позоло́чувати (pozolóčuvaty)to cover with a thin layer of gold
- позолоти́ти (pozolotýty)to cover with a thin layer of gold
- позлоти́ти (pozlotýty)to cover with a thin layer of gold
Vietnamese trá
- tráto cover with a thin layer of gold
Welsh euro, addurno
- euroto cover with a thin layer of gold
- addurnoto adorn
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with gild
Sounds the same
Cite this entry
gild. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gild
“gild.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gild. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gild,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gild.
Source: gild on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.