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

These works are Impressionistic, displaying washes of scenes featuring elements like lily pads and flowers, some of them incorporating gold leaf as an accent in reference to the Japanese kintsugi technique.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026

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

Her arms and face were plaster made to resemble marble, her gown gilded in gold leaf that, upon catching the burnished sun, transformed her garment into a mantle of fire.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros