Where does “gilt” come from?
Gilt comes from Middle English gilten, from Old English gyltan, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃-, meaning to shine or glow.
gilt (English): Gold or other metal in a thin layer; gilding;...
Definitions
- Gold or other metal in a thin layer; gilding;...
Ancestry of “gilt”, step by step
gilt traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English gild
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | gild | To cover with a thin layer of gold; to cover with... |
| 2 | Middle English | gilden | Formed from gold; Covered or decorated with gold;... |
| 3 | Old English | gylden | golden, made of gold |
| 4 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 5 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 6 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |