Engild

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɪŋˈɡɪld/

Definitions

1. To coat or overlay an object or surface with gold or a gold-like substance
2. To apply a thin layer of gold or a golden finish onto something
3. To make something appear golden by covering it partially or entirely with gold

Etymology: "Engild" is built from the prefix "en-", which turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning "to put into or onto" something, and the existing verb "gild", meaning to coat a surface with gold. Put together, the word means to put a golden coating onto something. The prefix is the older element here: "en-" entered English through Old French from Latin "in", and it was attached to many native English verbs, so "engild" follows a familiar pattern in which the prefix adds a sense of applying or enclosing. "Gild" itself is the older root, and it has a longer history than its gold-plating sense suggests. The base verb traces back to Old English "gyldan", which meant to cover with gold, and it is connected to the adjective "gold". The word "engild" is far less common than "gild", and most dictionaries treat it as a variant form rather than a separate coinage with its own dramatic backstory. Its meaning stays close to the root, so the literal sense of covering something with gold remains clear.

Synonyms: gild, goldplate