Golden

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈɡəʊl.dən/

Definitions

1. Made of or resembling gold in color, value, or excellence
2. Having the hue or appearance similar to gold ; exceptionally high in quality or merit ; a time marked by great success or wealth
3. Displaying a golden shade or metallic luster ; outstanding or superior in nature ; an era characterized by abundant achievement or fortune

Etymology: The adjective "golden" is a case of a word that changed its spelling to match its noun. Its Old English ancestor was "gylden," which was formed from the Proto-Germanic "gulþīnaz," meaning "made of gold," and it carried that literal sense for centuries. The ending "-en" is a suffix that turned the noun "gold" into an adjective, so the word's structure was simply "gold" plus a material-marking ending. For a long time the word was spelled "gulden," "gylden," or "gilden" in Middle English, and it looked and sounded quite different from the modern form. Over time, speakers began to link it more closely with the noun "gold," and the spelling was restored to "golden" to reflect that connection, even though the vowel had shifted in the process. The older form survives as a doublet in "gilden," which is a separate variant of the same word. Cognates in Dutch ("gouden"), German ("golden"), and Danish ("gylden") show that this adjective is shared across the Germanic languages, all built on the same idea of something made of gold.

Synonyms: gilded, shiny, brilliant

Antonyms: dull, dark