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gild

 [gild]   Origin

gild

1   [gild]
verb (used with object), gild·ed or gilt, gild·ing.
1.
to coat with gold, gold leaf, or a gold-colored substance.
2.
to give a bright, pleasing, or specious aspect to.
3.
Archaic. to make red, as with blood.
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Idiom
4.
gild the lily, to add unnecessary ornamentation, a special feature, etc., in an attempt to improve something that is already complete, satisfactory, or ideal: After that wonderful meal, serving a fancy dessert would be gilding the lily.

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Gild is one of our favorite verbs.
So is peculate. Does it mean:
to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.
to run away hurriedly; flee.
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Origin:
1300–50; Middle English gilden, Old English -gyldan; akin to gold

Related forms
gild·a·ble, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged

gild

2   [gild]
noun
guild.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To gild
Collins
World English Dictionary
gild1 (ɡɪld)
 
—vb , gilds, gilding, gilded, gilt
1.  to cover with or as if with gold
2.  gild the lily
 a.  to adorn unnecessarily something already beautiful
 b.  to praise someone inordinately
3.  to give a falsely attractive or valuable appearance to
4.  archaic to smear with blood
 
[Old English gyldan, from goldgold; related to Old Norse gylla, Middle High German vergülden]
 
'gilder1
 
—n

gild2 (ɡɪld)
 
—n
a variant spelling of guild
 
'gildsman2
 
—n

guild or gild (ɡɪld)
 
—n
1.  an organization, club, or fellowship
2.  (esp in medieval Europe) an association of men sharing the same interests, such as merchants or artisans: formed for mutual aid and protection and to maintain craft standards or pursue some other purpose such as communal worship
3.  ecology a group of plants, such as a group of epiphytes, that share certain habits or characteristics
 
[C14: of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse gjald payment, gildi guild; related to Old English gield offering, Old High German gelt money]
 
gild or gild
 
—n
 
[C14: of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse gjald payment, gildi guild; related to Old English gield offering, Old High German gelt money]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

gild
O.E. gyldan, from P.Gmc. *gulthianan (cf. O.N. gylla "to guild"), from *gulthan "gold."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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