ɡəuld n. & adj. --n. 1 a
yellow malleable ductile high density metallic element resistant to
chemical reaction, occurring
naturally in
quartz veins
and gravel, and
precious as a
monetary medium, in
jewellery, etc. °Symb.:
Au. 2
the colour of gold. 3 a coins or articles
made of gold. b
money in
large sums,
wealth. 4
something precious,
beautiful, or
brilliant (all
that glitters is
not gold). 5 = gold
medal. 6 gold used
for coating a
surface or as a
pigment,
gilding. 7 the bull's-eye of an
archery target (usu. gilt). --adj. 1 made
wholly or
chiefly of gold. 2
coloured like gold. øage of gold =
golden age. gold
amalgam an easily-moulded
combination of gold
with mercury. gold-beater a
person who beats gold
out into gold
leaf. gold-beater's
skin a
membrane used to
separate leaves of gold
during beating, or as a
covering for
slight wounds. gold
bloc a bloc of countries having a gold
standard. gold
brick sl. 1 a
thing with
only a surface
appearance of
value, a
sham or
fraud. 2 US a
lazy person. gold-digger 1 sl. a
woman who wheedles money out of
men. 2 a person who
digs for gold. gold-dust 1 gold in fine particles as
often found naturally. 2 a
plant,
Alyssum saxatile, with
many small yellow flowers. gold-field a
district in
which gold is found as a
mineral. gold foil gold
beaten into a
thin sheet. gold leaf gold beaten into a
very thin sheet. gold medal a medal of gold, usu. awarded as
first prize. gold-mine 1 a
place where gold is mined. 2 colloq. a
source of wealth. gold of
pleasure an
annual yellow-flowered plant, Camelina sativa. gold
plate 1 vessels made of gold. 2
material plated with gold. gold-plate v.tr. plate with gold. gold
reserve a reserve of gold coins or
bullion held by a
central bank etc. gold-rush a rush to a newly-discovered gold-field. gold standard a
system by which the value of a
currency is defined in terms of gold, for which the currency
may be exchanged. Gold Stick 1 (in the UK) a gilt
rod carried on
State occasions by the
colonel of the
Life Guards or the
captain of the gentlemen-at-arms. 2 the
officer carrying
this rod. gold
thread 1 a thread of
silk etc. with gold
wire wound
round it. 2 a
bitter plant, Coptis tinfolia. [OE f. Gmc]