gilded
part of speech
adjective (gilded); verb form, past of gild (gild, gilds, gilded, gilding)
meaning for a pupil
1) Covered with a thin layer of gold or gold-coloured paint. tree →
2) Looking rich and fancy, sometimes only on the outside: a gilded life. tree →
3) (phrase) «A gilded cage» means a comfortable, rich life where you are not free. tree →
sense in the lessons
In history and art lessons gilded frames, crowns, church domes and palace ceilings show wealth and power. In stories «gilded» shows luxury or hints that something only looks good. In US history the «Gilded Age» (about 1870–1900) was a time of great riches for some and poverty for many. Phrases: gilded frame, gilded cage, the Gilded Age.
examples
- The portrait hung in a gilded frame. tree →
- The palace had gilded ceilings and huge mirrors. tree →
- The princess lived in a gilded cage and longed to go outside. tree →
- The church dome is gilded and shines in the sun. tree →
- Autumn leaves gilded the park with gold. tree →
- The Gilded Age was a time of millionaires and factories in America. tree →
- The youngest saw the gilded star, and ran and pulled it off the tree. tree →
note
Verb: gild, gilded. Homophone trap: «gild» (cover with gold) and «guild» (a group of workers) sound the same. «Gilded» does not mean solid gold, only a thin layer. Saying «to gild the lily» means to spoil something already beautiful by adding more.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «gilded» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.