gilt

1 of 3

adjective

ˈgilt 

: covered with gold or gilt : of the color of gold

gilt

2 of 3

noun (1)

1

: gold or something that resembles gold laid on a surface

2

slang : money

3

: superficial brilliance

4

: a bond issued by the government of the United Kingdom

gilt

3 of 3

noun (2)

: a young female swine

Examples of gilt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Or admire the collection of silver-gilt tableware in the Vermeil Room? — Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025

That instability is spooking investors, hence the high gilt yields, on top of Britain’s long-term lack of economic growth. — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 12 May 2026

Noun

War bonds would effectively be gilts, sold to the public, with the proceeds going straight to Britain’s creaking defense sector. — Philip Aldrick, Fortune, 28 June 2026

This gilt-bronze bodhisattva statue from the early 7th century sits along with one other bodhisattva dating to the 6th century. — Anthony Kuhn, NPR, 11 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun (1)

Middle English, from past participle of gilden to gild

Noun (2)

Middle English gylte, from Old Norse gyltr; akin to Old English gelde sterile — more at geld

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing gilt

• gilt-edge
• gilt-edged

Rhymes for gilt

• built
• guilt
• hilt
• kilt
• lilt
• milt
• quilt
• silt
• spilt
• stilt
• tilt
• wilt

Kids Definition

gilt

1 of 3 adjective

ˈgilt 

: of the color of gold

gilt

2 of 3 noun

: gold or something like gold laid on a surface

gilt

3 of 3 noun

: a young female pig

Medical Definition

gilt

noun

ˈgilt 

: a young female swine