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geld1 definition

geld (geld)

transitive verb gelded geld′ed or gelt, gelding geld′·ing

  1. to castrate (esp. a horse)
  2. to deprive of anything essential; weaken

Etymology: ME gelden < ON gelda, to castrate < geldr, barren < IE base *ĝhel-, to cut > OWelsh gylym, knife, ON gylta, sow, Goth giltha, scythe

geld2 definition

geld (geld)

noun

a tax paid to the crown by English landholders in Anglo-Saxon and Norman times

Etymology: ML (Domesday Book) geldum < OE gield, payment (akin to Ger geld, money): for IE base see yield

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