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gold

[gohld]
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noun
  1. a precious yellow metallic element, highly malleable and ductile, and not subject to oxidation or corrosion. Symbol: Au; atomic weight: 196.967; atomic number: 79; specific gravity: 19.3 at 20°C.
  2. a quantity of gold coins: to pay in gold.
  3. a monetary standard based on this metal; gold standard.
  4. money; wealth; riches.
  5. something likened to this metal in brightness, preciousness, superiority, etc.: a heart of gold.
  6. a bright, metallic yellow color, sometimes tending toward brown.
  7. gold medal.
  8. (initial capital letter) Military. the code name for one of the five D-day invasion beaches, assaulted by British troops.
adjective
  1. consisting of gold.
  2. pertaining to gold.
  3. like gold.
  4. of the color of gold.
  5. indicating the fiftieth event of a series, as a wedding anniversary.
  6. (of an audio recording) having sold a minimum of 500,000 copies.
Idioms
  1. go gold,
    1. (of an audio recording) to attain sales of 500,000 copies or more.
    2. (of a video game) to complete the development cycle from production through quality assurance testing and enter the sales and shipping cycle: The game went gold in November and was on store shelves for the holiday season.

Origin of gold

before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with German Gold, Gothic gulth
Related formsnon·gold, noun, adjective

Gold1

[gohld, gawld]
noun
  1. Nanay.

Gold2

[gohld]
noun
  1. Herbert,born 1924, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.
  2. Thomas,1920–2004, U.S. astronomer, born in Austria: formulated the steady-state theory of the universe.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for gold

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Stater—A gold coin; estimated at about twelve shillings, three pence.

    Philothea

    Lydia Maria Child

  • He's stolen five or six hundred dollars in gold from old Paul Nichols.

    Brave and Bold

    Horatio Alger

  • Still, the thought of the gold in his pockets afforded some satisfaction.

    Brave and Bold

    Horatio Alger

  • He had become so wedded to his gold that to lose it was like losing his heart's blood.

    Brave and Bold

    Horatio Alger

  • "He's gone off with my gold," exclaimed Paul Nichols, recovering from his stupefaction.

    Brave and Bold

    Horatio Alger

British Dictionary definitions for gold

gold

noun
    1. a dense inert bright yellow element that is the most malleable and ductile metal, occurring in rocks and alluvial deposits: used as a monetary standard and in jewellery, dentistry, and plating. The radioisotope gold-198 (radiogold), with a half-life of 2.69 days, is used in radiotherapy. Symbol: Au; atomic no: 79; atomic wt: 196.96654; valency: 1 or 3; relative density: 19.3; melting pt: 1064.43°C; boiling pt: 2857°CRelated adjectives: aurous, auric
    2. (as modifier)a gold mine
  2. a coin or coins made of this metal
  3. money; wealth
  4. something precious, beautiful, etc, such as a noble nature (esp in the phrase heart of gold)
    1. a deep yellow colour, sometimes with a brownish tinge
    2. (as adjective)a gold carpet
  6. archery the bull's eye of a target, scoring nine points
  7. short for gold medal

Word Origin

Old English gold; related to Old Norse gull, Gothic gulth, Old High German gold

Gold

noun
  1. Thomas. 1920–2004, Austrian-born astronomer, working in England and the US: with Bondi and Hoyle he proposed the steady-state theory of the universe
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for gold

n.

Old English gold, from Proto-Germanic *gulth- (cf. Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Old High German gold, German Gold, Middle Dutch gout, Dutch goud, Old Norse gull, Danish guld, Gothic gulþ), from PIE root *ghel- "yellow, green," possibly ultimately "bright" (cf. Old Church Slavonic zlato, Russian zoloto, Sanskrit hiranyam, Old Persian daraniya-, Avestan zaranya- "gold;" see Chloe).

As an adjective from c.1200. In reference to the color of the metal, it is recorded from c.1400. Gold rush is attested from 1859, originally in an Australian context. Gold medal as first prize in a contest is from 1908.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
gold in Medicine

gold

(gōld)
n. Symbol Au
  1. A soft yellow element that resists corrosion and is the most malleable and ductile metal, used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and intravenously in liver imaging. Atomic number 79.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
gold in Science

gold

[gōld]
Au
  1. A soft, shiny, yellow element that is the most malleable of all the metals. It occurs in veins and in alluvial deposits. Because it is very durable, resistant to corrosion, and a good conductor of heat and electricity, gold is used as a plated coating on electrical and mechanical components. It is also an international monetary standard and is used in jewelry and for decoration. Atomic number 79; atomic weight 196.967; melting point 1,063.0°C; boiling point 2,966.0°C; specific gravity 19.32; valence 1, 3. See Periodic Table. See Note at element.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.