Showing results for "gilt"

• past participle of gild.
• past tense form of gild.

gilt

¹ American  

[gilt] / gɪlt /

verb

1. a simple past tense and past participle of gild.

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adjective

1. gilded.

2. gold in color; golden.

noun

1. the thin layer of gold or other material applied in gilding.

2. gilt-edged security.

gilt ² American  

[gilt] / gɪlt /

noun

1. a young female swine, especially one that has not produced a litter.

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gilt ¹ British  

/ ɡɪlt /

verb

1. a past tense and past participle of gild 1

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noun

1. gold or a substance simulating it, applied in gilding

2. another word for gilding gilding

3. superficial or false appearance of excellence; glamour

4. a gilt-edged security

5. to destroy the part of something that gives it its appeal

adjective

1. covered with or as if with gold or gilt; gilded

gilt ² British  

/ ɡɪlt /

noun

1. a young female pig, esp one that has not had a litter

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Etymology

Origin of gilt¹

First recorded in 1300–50, for the adjective

Origin of gilt²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English gilte, Old Norse gylta

Explanation

All those gold framed pictures you see hanging in museums? They're covered in gilt — a very thin layer of gold leaf, like paper, applied to the surface. A common term associated with gilt is gilt-edged, implying something known to be reliably wealthy. Anything can be gilt-edged: a person, a town, or a reputation. The term comes from a form of government-issued bond, known as a gilt, which was originally gilded around the edges. Don't confuse gilt with guilt, which sounds the same but means a sense of knowing you've done something wrong. (Though, if you've stolen a gilt, does that make you gilty?)

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gilt

The U.K. will sell a new May 2030 gilt on Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

This added to the ups and downs in the gilt markets - the trade in British government debt.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

The yield on a 30-year gilt — a loan to the British government — rose to 5.89%, the highest since 1998.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

In the U.K. the 10-year gilt yield rose to 5.234%, the highest since 2008, while the 30-year yield rose to levels unseen since 1998.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Several watercolors of flowers hang from hooks on the walls, and a black-and-white photograph of a stern-looking couple sits on the dresser in a gilt frame.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

Related Words

• gaudy
• gleaming
• glittering
• golden
• lustrous
• painted
• sparkling