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

Half an acre of gilt adorns its interior. —Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025

There is no porthole, but dents in the wall mark where nails must once have held up maps or schedules, maybe photographs from home, and slotted into a niche in the wall is a small gilt mirror. —Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025

Noun

Subtlety trumped gilt, as the showplace for the president didn’t need to show off to prove American greatness. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025

My father makes color copies of famous paintings and gilt frames for the walls of the living room and bedrooms. —Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025

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