gold

 
Pronunciation: /gəʊld/

noun

[mass noun]
  • 1a yellow precious metal, the chemical element of atomic number 79, used in jewellery and decoration and to guarantee the value of currencies: (Symbol: Au) [as modifier]: gold earrings
  • [with modifier] an alloy of gold: 9-carat gold
  • 2a deep lustrous yellow or yellow-brown colour: her eyes were light green and flecked with gold
  • 3coins or other articles made of gold: her ankles and wrists were glinting with gold
  • money in large sums; wealth: he proved to be a rabid seeker for gold and power
  • a thing that is precious or beautiful: they scout continents in search of the new green gold
  • 4 [count noun]short for gold medal she claimed she was robbed of a gold
  • 5 [count noun] the bullseye of an archery target.

Phrases

go gold

(of a recording) achieve sales meriting a gold disc: her debut album recently went gold

pot (or crock) of gold

a large but distant or imaginary reward: the prospect of a pot of gold when the statue was sold
[with allusion to the story of a crock of gold supposedly to be found at the end of a rainbow]

Origin:

Old English, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch goud and German Gold, from an Indo-European root shared by yellow