gold leaf

noun

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

gold leaf

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

Other Word Forms

• gold-leaf adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of gold leaf¹

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

A priest took the documents and lightly tapped them against the statue, which was swathed in flowers and tucked behind three doorways framed in gold leaf carvings of Hindu gods.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It’s the biggest, it’s the tallest, it’s got more floors, it’s the most expensive, it’s got more gold leaf, and as we know from Donald Trump’s past, a likelihood of bankruptcy, therefore, looms.

Read more on Salon

Then they repaired some of the tiles that had lost their enamel and gold leaf, making them look like black spots from down below.

Read more on BBC

The artist decorated the rippling glass of a high, arched window between two galleries in the Jacobs building with nearly imperceptible webs of shimmering gold leaf, which reflects the light passing through.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

All of these examples use beaten gold, thin sheets of the precious metal, also called gold leaf.

Read more on New York Times