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gild

verb

Simple meaning

To cover with a thin layer of gold.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

gild
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈɡɪld

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. transitive

    To cover with a thin layer of gold; to cover with gold leaf.

  2. transitive

    To give a bright or pleasing aspect to.

  3. transitive

    To give a brilliant colour or flush to one's face; (also) to make appear drunk.

  4. transitive

    To adorn.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C2 · Proficient (estimated)

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To cover with a thin layer of gold; to cover with gold leaf.

Used this way, gild is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

gild merchantgild systemgild organizationtrinity gild

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • gild the lilyverbCompound term

    Adorn unnecessarily (something that is already beautiful).

  • gilded flickernounCompound term

    Southwestern United States bird like the yellow-shafted flicker but lacking the red neck.

  • gilding metalnounCompound term

    A brass that is rich in copper.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.