What is gold? Gold Dictionary

What is gold?

gold |gōld|

noun

1 a yellow precious metal, the chemical element of atomic number 79, valued esp. for use in jewelry and decoration, and to guarantee the value of currencies. (Symbol: Au)

• [with adj. ] an alloy of this : 9-carat gold.

Gold is quite widely distributed in nature, but economical extraction is only possible from deposits of the native metal or sulfide ores or as a byproduct of copper and lead mining.The use of the metal in coins is now limited, but it is also used in electrical contacts and (in some countries) as a filling for teeth.

2 a deep lustrous yellow or yellow-brown color : her eyes were light green and flecked with gold.

3 coins or articles made of gold : her ankles and wrists were glinting with gold.

• money in large sums; wealth : he proved to be a rabid seeker for gold and power.
• a thing that is precious, beautiful, or brilliant : they scout continents in search of the new green gold.
• short for gold medal.

PHRASES

go gold (of a recording) achieve sales meriting a gold disk.

pot (or crock) of gold a large but distant or imaginary reward. [ORIGIN: with allusion to the story of a crock of gold supposedly to be found by anyone reaching the end of a rainbow.]

ORIGIN Old English , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch goud and German Gold, from an Indo-European root shared by yellow .