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

Just as you’ll be glad to linger over Ms. Morris’s vivid watercolors, many of them on backgrounds of gold leaf.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026

Four bronze horse statues that stand near Memorial Bridge are set to be coated with 23.75 karat gold leaf.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

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

The goldsmiths and silversmiths hammered away, with small hammers, at gold leaf.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White