gold leaf

American  

noun

1. gold in the form of very thin foil, as for gilding.

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gold leaf British  

noun

1. very thin gold sheet with a thickness usually between 0.076 and 0.127 micrometre, produced by rolling or hammering gold and used for gilding woodwork, etc

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Other Word Forms

• gold-leaf
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of gold leaf

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

Carving the intricate statues, which are often adorned with bright paint and gold leaf, was an art he learned from his father as a teenager.

From Barron's • Jan. 19, 2026

Glasses of Champagne, truffles, gold leaf and caviar decorate the poached blue lobster and A5 Miyazaki beef tenderloin dishes here.

From Salon • Dec. 27, 2025

It is made of more than 1,000 handblown coloured glass tiles, each inlaid with gold leaf, echoing the colours of the cathedral's stained-glass windows.

From BBC • Nov. 30, 2025

The cake’s original version was covered in gold leaf, but aside from eye candy, you’re not missing anything without it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

The air-conditioning has to run all the time so the jungle heat won’t damage the gold leaf on his chandeliers.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver