/ gəʊld; NAmE goʊld/ noun , adjective
■ noun
1.
[ U ] ( symb Au ) a chemical element. Gold is a yellow precious metal used for making coins, jewellery, decorative objects, etc. :
a gold bracelet / ring / watch, etc.
18-carat gold
the country's gold reserves
made of solid / pure gold
—see also fool's gold
2.
[ U ] money, jewellery, etc. that is made of gold :
His wife was dripping with (= wearing a lot of) gold.
3.
[ U , C ] the colour of gold :
I love the reds and golds of autumn.
4.
[ U , C ] = gold medal :
The team look set to win Olympic gold.
He won three golds and a bronze.
•
IDIOMS
- all that glitters / glistens is not gold
- a crock / pot of gold
- (as) good as gold
—more at heart , street , strike verb , worth adjective
■ adjective
[ only before noun ] bright yellow in colour, like gold :
The company name was spelled out in gold letters.
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch goud and German Gold , from an Indo-European root shared by yellow .