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gilt1

Pronunciation: /gɪlt/
Translate gilt | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of gilt

adjective

  • covered thinly with gold leaf or gold paint.

noun

  • 1 [mass noun] gold leaf or gold paint applied in a thin layer to a surface.
  • 2 (gilts) fixed-interest loan securities issued by the UK government.

Phrases

take the gilt off the gingerbread

Origin:

Middle English: archaic past participle of gild1

Do not confuse gilt with guilt. Gilt means 'covered with gold leaf' (paintings in gilt frames), whereas guilt means 'the fact that someone has done something illegal' (the prosecution must prove the prisoner’s guilt) or 'a feeling of having done wrong'.

gilt in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of gilt in the US English dictionary