Gold

¹

[ gohld, gawld ]

noun

1. Nanay.

Gold

²

[ gohld ]

noun

1. Herbert, 1924–2023, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.
2. Thomas, 1920–2004, U.S. astronomer, born in Austria: formulated the steady-state theory of the universe.

gold

³

[ gohld ]

noun

1. a precious yellow metallic element, highly malleable and ductile, and not subject to oxidation or corrosion. : Au; : 196.967; : 79; : 19.3 at 20°C.
2. a quantity of gold coins:

   to pay in gold.

3. a monetary standard based on this metal; gold standard.
4. money; wealth; riches.
5. something likened to this metal in brightness, preciousness, superiority, etc.:

   a heart of gold.

6. a bright, metallic yellow color, sometimes tending toward brown.
7. gold medal.
8. Gold, Military. the code name for one of the five D-day invasion beaches, assaulted by British troops.

adjective

1. consisting of gold.
2. pertaining to gold.
3. like gold.
4. of the color of gold.
5. indicating the fiftieth event of a series, as a wedding anniversary.
6. (of an audio recording) having sold a minimum of 500,000 copies.

Gold

¹

/ ɡəʊld /

noun

1. GoldThomas19202004MAustrianSCIENCE: astronomer Thomas. 1920–2004, Austrian-born astronomer, working in England and the US: with Bondi and Hoyle he proposed the steady-state theory of the universe

gold

²

/ ɡəʊld /

noun

1. 1. a dense inert bright yellow element that is the most malleable and ductile metal, occurring in rocks and alluvial deposits: used as a monetary standard and in jewellery, dentistry, and plating. The radioisotope gold-198 ( radiogold ), with a half-life of 2.69 days, is used in radiotherapy. Symbol: Au; atomic no: 79; atomic wt: 196.96654; valency: 1 or 3; relative density: 19.3; melting pt: 1064.43°C; boiling pt: 2857°C aurousauric
   2. ( as modifier )

      a gold mine

2. a coin or coins made of this metal
3. money; wealth
4. something precious, beautiful, etc, such as a noble nature (esp in the phrase heart of gold )
5. 1. a deep yellow colour, sometimes with a brownish tinge
   2. ( as adjective )

      a gold carpet

6. archery the bull's eye of a target, scoring nine points
7. short for gold medal

gold

/ gōld /

1. A soft, shiny, yellow element that is the most malleable of all the metals. It occurs in veins and in alluvial deposits. Because it is very durable, resistant to corrosion, and a good conductor of heat and electricity, gold is used as a plated coating on electrical and mechanical components. It is also an international monetary standard and is used in jewelry and for decoration. Atomic number 79; atomic weight 196.967; melting point 1,063.0°C; boiling point 2,966.0°C; specific gravity 19.32; valence 1, 3.
2. See Periodic Table See Note at element

Other Words From

• non·gold noun adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Gold¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with German Gold, Gothic gulth; akin to Persian zar, Russian zóloto, Sanskrit híraṇya; yellow ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of Gold¹

Old English gold; related to Old Norse gull, Gothic gulth, Old High German gold

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. go gold,
   1. (of an audio recording) to attain sales of 500,000 copies or more.
   2. (of a video game) to complete the development cycle from production through quality assurance testing and enter the sales and shipping cycle:

      The game went gold in November and was on store shelves for the holiday season.

Example Sentences

But a lot of that stuff is just GOP orthodoxy now, with Project 2025 calling to scrap the DOE, sap the Fed’s powers, and return this country to the gold standard.

From Slate

To survive, the miners and undocumented migrants go beneath the surface to escape poverty and dig up gold to sell it on the black market.

From BBC

An estimated 4,000 illegal gold miners are hiding underground in South Africa after the government cut off food and water in an effort to "smoke them out" and arrest them.

From BBC

Vonn won Olympic downhill gold at the Winter Games in Vancouver in 2010, where she also took bronze in the Super-G.

From BBC

As the city turns to developing what would be the nation’s largest water recycling project, various questions have yet to be answered, including where the purification facilities will be located, how the distribution system will be designed, and what the time frame for construction will be, Gold said.

From Los Angeles Times