Gild Definition
gĭld
gilded, gilding, gilds, gilt
verb
gilded, gilding, gilds
To overlay with a thin layer of gold.
Webster's New World
To coat with a gold color.
Webster's New World
To make (something) seem more attractive or more valuable than it is.
Webster's New World
To smear with blood.
American Heritage
To make appear bright and attractive.
Webster's New World
idiom
gild the lily
- To adorn unnecessarily something already beautiful.
- To make superfluous additions to what is already complete.
American Heritage
gild the lily
- to attempt to improve something regarded as already excellent or perfect
Webster's New World
Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Gild
Origin of Gild
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from Old English gyldan ("to gild, to cover with a thin layer of gold"), from Proto-Germanic *gulþianą (cf. Old Norse gylla "to gild," Old High German übergulden), from Proto-Germanic *gulþą.
From Wiktionary
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Middle English gilden from Old English gyldan ghel-2 in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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