gild

¹

[gild]

verb (used with object)

gilded, gilt, gilding. 

1. to coat with gold, gold leaf, or a gold-colored substance.

2. to give a bright, pleasing, or specious aspect to.

3. Archaic.,  to make red, as with blood.

gild

²

[gild]

noun

1. guild.

gild

¹

/ ɡɪld /

verb

1. to cover with or as if with gold

2. 1. to adorn unnecessarily something already beautiful

   2. to praise someone inordinately

3. to give a falsely attractive or valuable appearance to

4. archaic,  to smear with blood

gild

²

/ ɡɪld /

noun

1. a variant spelling of guild

Other Word Forms

• gildable adjective
• gilder noun
• gildsman noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of gild¹

1300–50; Middle English gilden, Old English -gyldan; akin to gold

Word History and Origins

Origin of gild¹

Old English gyldan, from gold _gold ; related to Old Norse gylla, Middle High German vergülden

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. gild the lily, to add unnecessary ornamentation, a special feature, etc., in an attempt to improve something that is already complete, satisfactory, or ideal.

   After that wonderful meal, serving a fancy dessert would be gilding the lily.

Example Sentences

Six feet tall, richly embossed, enhanced with jewels, crowned with a gilded cross and bearing a dozen gilded angels, it was commissioned by the Spanish king Philip IV, who died before delivery.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The mask sits surrounded by personal belongings, gilded tools, family heirlooms and funerary statues.

Read more on Barron's

Away from the gilded hallways, “SNL” skewered the design sense of both Trumps.

Read more on Salon

He represented a gilded, aspirational figure to over half of voters.

Read more on MarketWatch

He represented a gilded, aspirational figure to over half of voters.

Read more on MarketWatch

Related Words

• adorn 
• bedeck