geld

¹

[geld]

verb (used with object)

gelded, gelt, gelding. 

1. to castrate (an animal, especially a horse).

2. to take strength, vitality, or power from; weaken or subdue.

geld

²

[geld]

noun

English History.

1. a payment; tax.

2. a tax paid to the crown by landholders under the Anglo-Saxon and Norman kings.

geld

¹

/ ɡɛld /

verb

1. to castrate (a horse or other animal)

2. to deprive of virility or vitality; emasculate; weaken

geld

²

/ ɡɛld /

noun

1. a tax on land levied in late Anglo-Saxon and Norman England

Other Word Forms

• gelder noun
• ungelded adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of geld¹

1250–1300; Middle English gelden < Old Norse gelda

Origin of geld²

1600–10; < Medieval Latin geldum payment, tribute < Germanic; compare Old English geld, German Geld

Word History and Origins

Origin of geld¹

C13: from Old Norse gelda, from geldr barren

Origin of geld²

Old English gield service, tax; related to Old Norse gjald tribute, Old Frisian jeld, Old High German gelt retribution, income

Example Sentences

Will the gelding be above or below par?

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Police arrested 118 people on the day of the race, in which the gelding Hill Sixteen suffered a fatal injury.

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Danish, fresh from politically gelding Roy in public, recognizes this advantage too.

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The 5-year-old gelding has been pretty good at Santa Anita, though, winning four of his six lifetime starts at the track.

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Tax Code, a well-bred 4-year-old gelding owned by Mischief Racing, has won two of three races this season against strong competition.

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