Engoldened

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Changed to have a golden color or look ; adorned with gold or golden decoration ; granted an elevated or honored status
2. Altered to appear as if covered in gold ; embellished by adding gold elements ; bestowed with a mark of distinction or honor
3. Transformed to shine with a gold hue ; enhanced by gilding or golden ornamentation ; recognized as distinguished or prestigious

Etymology: The verb "engolden" is built plainly: the intensifying prefix "en-" attached to "golden", so the word means roughly "to make golden" or "to cover thoroughly in gold." The prefix does the work here. Its Latin ancestor "in-" came into English through Old French "en-", which is the same prefix that appears in words like "enrich" and "enlarge," and it adds a sense of putting something into a state or thoroughly bringing it about. The base word has a longer and more tangled history than the prefix. "Golden" descends from Old English "gylden," which grew from the Proto-Germanic "gulþīnaz," itself built on the root behind "gold." Over the centuries the Old English form passed through Middle English "gildener" and "golden" before settling into the spelling used today, so the modern word is a fairly direct continuation of an Anglo-Saxon adjective.

Synonyms: golden, gilded