noun
also gild ˈgild
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English gilde, from Old Norse gildi guild, payment, tribute; akin to Old English gild, gield service, tribute — more at geld (tax)
1. : an association of men belonging to the same class, engaged in kindred pursuits, or having common interests or aims: as
a. : any of various medieval associations having both social and semireligious features
b. : a medieval association of merchants controlling local trade in some parts of Britain and sometimes constituting the local governing body
c. : a medieval association of members of a craft or trade established to promote the welfare of that craft and its members and sometimes replacing the merchants' guild as a governing body
d. : any of various modern associations, societies, or brotherhoods resembling the medieval guilds in their aims
a guild for charitable work
the hospital guild of our church
broadly : fellowship , society
2. obsolete : the headquarters or meeting place of a guild : guildhall
3. : an ecological group of plants distinguished from ordinary herbs, shrubs, and trees by a special mode of life (as the saprophytic, pȧrasitic, epiphytic, or twining) usually involving some degree of dependence on other plants