gilbacker 
gilbacker (gil'bak-er), n. A siluroid fish of 
the northern coast of South America, the Ta- 
chysaurus or Arius parkeri. 
Q-ilbertine (gil'ber-tin), a. and n. [< ML. Gil- 
bertinus, < Gilbertus, G. and E. Gilbert, a name of 
OHG. origin: see gib 2 .] I. a. Pertaining to St. 
Gilbert or to the order founded by him. See n. 
II. n. One of a religious order founded in 
England in the first half of the twelfth century 
by St. Gilbert, lord of Sempringham in Lincoln- 
shire, the monks of which observed the rule of 
St. Augustine, and the nuns that of St. Bene- 
dict. The Gilbertines were confined to Eng- 
land, and their houses were suppressed by 
Henry VIII. 
gilbertite (gil'ber-tit), . [Named after Davies 
Gilbert, whose original name was Giddy (born 
in Cornwall, 1767; died 1839), at one time pres- 
ident of the Eoyal Society.] A kind of potash 
mica often found associated with tin ores, as 
in Cornwall and Saxony. It usually has a mas- 
sive or indistinctly crystalline structure. 
gild 1 (gild), v. t. ; pret. and pp. gilded or gilt, 
ppr. gilding. [< ME. gilden, rarely gulden, < 
AS. gyldan (late and rare) (= D. ver-gulden = 
G. ver-golden = Icel. gylla = Dan. for-gylde 
= Sw. for-gylla), overlay with gold, with reg. 
umlaut, < gold (= Icel. gull, etc.), gold: see 
gold. Cf. gilt 1 , v.] 1. To overlay with gold, 
either in leaf or powder or in amalgam with 
quicksilver; overspread with a thin covering 
of gold. 
Of gold ther is a horde, A tretela ther bl, 
Of ailuer othr vesaelle ..///'.' fulle richell. 
Rob. of Brunne, p. 162. 
His homes were gilden all with golden studs. 
Spenser, F. Q., VII. vii. 33. 
2. To give the appearance of gold to, whether 
by means of actual gold-leaf or in some other 
way, as by lacquering polished brass, bronz- 
ing with gold-colored bronze-powder, or the 
like. To distinguish real gilding with gold from the 
above, such terms as tire-gilding, leaf-gilding, etc., are in 
common use. See gilding. 
3f. In old chem., to impregnate or saturate with 
gold. 
The science how 30 schule gilde more myjtily by bren- 
iiynge watir or wiyn than I tauste sou tofore, wherby 
the water or the wiyn schal take to it myjtily the influ- 
ence and the vertues of fyne gold. 
Buoke of Quinte Essence (E. E. T. S.), p. 7. 
Figuratively 4. To give a golden appearance 
or color to; illuminate; brighten; render 
bright ; make glowing. 
Their armours, that march'd hence so silver-bright, 
Hither return all gilt with Frenchmen's blood. 
Shale., K. John, ii. 2. 
Th' ensuing Scene revolves a Martial Age, 
And ardent Colours gild the glowing Page. 
Congreve, Birth of the Muse. 
No more the rising Sun shall gild the morn. 
Pope, Messiah, 1. 99. 
5. To give a fair and agreeable external ap- 
pearance to ; recommend to favor and recep- 
tion by superficial decoration : as, to gild flat- 
tery or falsehood. 
For my part, if a lie may do thee grace, 
I'll gild it with the happiest terms I have. 
Shak., 1 Hen. IV., v. 4. 
Is it repentance, 
Or only a fair show to gild his mischiefs? 
Fletcher, Pilgrim, iv. 2. 
6f. To make drunk: in allusion to the effect of 
liquor in causing the face to glow. 
And Trinculo is reeling ripe ; where should they 
Find this grand liquor that hath gilded them ? 
Shak., Tempest, v. 1. 
Duke. Is she not drunk too? 
Wh. A little gilded o'er, sir. Old sack, old sack, boys. 
Fletcher, Chances, iv. 3. 
gild 2 , guild (gild), . [The in the second 
form is a mod . and unnecessary insertion ; < ME. 
gilde, gylde, gilde, < AS. gegild, gegyld, also gild- 
scipe and gegildscipe (not *gild in this sense) 
(= OD. guide, ghilde, D. gild = MLG. LG. gilde, 
> G. gilde = Icel. gildi = Sw. gille = Dan. gilde; 
ML. gilda, a gild), < gild, gyld, geld,gield (= OS. 
geld, payment, tribute, offering, = OFries. geld, 
jeld = D. geld, money, = MLG. geld, payment, 
= OHG. geld, MHG. gelt, payment, retribution, 
reward, G. geld, money, = Icel. gjald, payment, 
tribute, retribution, = Sw. gdld = Dan. gjceld, 
debt), < gildan, gyldan, gieldan, pay, offer, etc., 
E. yield: see yield. Cf. geld 2 .] 1. An asso- 
ciation or corporation established for the pro- 
motion of common objects, or mutual aid and 
protection in common pursuits, and supported 
(originally) by the contributions of its mem- 
bers. In medieval times all European mechanics and 
traders were organized into gilds, which possessed impor- 
2512 
taut legal powers and often exercised great political in- 
fluence. Many of these still exist in Great Britain, espe- 
cially in London, as the Stationers' or the Ironmongers' 
Oild. There were also gilds of professional men ; and 
associations for pious and charitable objects bearing the 
name of gilds are common in some churches. See frater- 
nity, 4. 
Oild signified among the Saxons a fraternity, derived 
from the verb gildan, to pay, because every man paid his 
share towards the expenses of the community. And hence 
their place of meeting is frequently called the guild or 
guildhall. Blackstone, Com., I. 473. 
The organization of the free craftsmen into Gilds, we 
thus see, was called forth by their want of protection 
against the abuse of power on the part of the lords. 
English Gilds (E. E. T. S.), p. cxviii. 
A third custom placed the right to vote in the freemen 
of the borough, or of the guild, which was coextensive 
with the borough. Stubbs, Const. Hist., 422. 
2f. Agildhall. 
The rowme was large and wyde, 
As it some Qyeld or solemne Temple weare. 
Spenser, F. Q., II. vii. 43. 
Adulterine gilds. See extract under adulterine, 4. 
Dean of gild. See dean". 
gild 2 t, guildt, v. t. [< gild?, guild, n.] To sell. 
There goe small shippes of the Moores thither, which 
come from the coast of laua, and change or guild their 
commodities in the kingdom of Assa. 
Hakluyt's Voyages, II. 228. 
gild 3 t, n. See geld 2 . 
gildablet, guildablet (gil'da-bl), a. [AF. gild- 
able, guldable; as gilds, geld 2 , + -able. Cf. geld- 
able, a.] Same as geldable. 
By the discretion of the sheriffs, and bailiff, and other 
ministers, in places guildaMe. Spelman. 
gild-ale (gild'al), n. 1. The provision of ale 
made for a gild-feast held at the time of elec- 
tion of officers of a gild. Hence 2. The feast 
itself, or its prolongation on succeeding nights, 
perhaps till the ale brewed for the occasion 
was consumed. Bickerdyke. 3. A drinking- 
bout in which each person pays an equal 
share. E. D. 
gildatet (gil'dat), v. t. [< gild? + -ate 2 .] To 
form into a gild or gilds. 
Peradventure, from these Secular Gilds, or in imitation 
of them, sprang the method or practice of gildating and 
embodying whole towns. 
Madox, quoted in English Gilds (E. E. T. S.), p. xciv. 
gild-bellt (gild'bel), n. A town-bell. 
The Chronicle at least speaks of the citizens in general, 
who mustered at the call of the Gild-bell (the town-bell). 
English Gilds (E. E. T. S.), p. xcvii. 
gild-brother (gild'bruTH"er), n. [ME. gyld- 
brotlier = D. gildebroeder = MLG. gildebroder = 
G. gildebrtider = Dan. gildebroder = Sw. gilles- 
broder.] A fellow-member of a gild. 
And ye Alderman and ye gylde breyeren shullen proueu 
[strive] vp-on here myght, for to acorden hem. 
English Gilds (E. E. T. S.), p. 101. 
The way in which this statute was drawn up shows clear- 
ly that " citizen " and Gild-brother were considered identi- 
cal. English Gilds (E. E. T. S.), p. xcix. 
gilden 1 (gil'dn), a. [< ME. gilden, gulden, < AS. 
gylden, golden, with reg. umlaut, < gold, gold, 
+ -en 2 : see golden, of which gilden is the earlier 
form.] Golden. [Obsolete or archaic.] 
There beside is the gildene Zate, that may not ben 
opened. ilandeville, Travels, p. 81. 
Her joy in gilden chariots when alive, 
And love of ombre, after death survive. 
Pope, R. of the L, i. B5. 
My barges ride 
With gilden pennons blown from side to side. 
R. H. Stoddard, Castle in the Air. 
gilden 2 t, [Also gylden; var. of gulden (D. 
G. gulden): see gulden?.] Same as gulden"*. 
The Heraulte was highely feasted, and had a cuppe and 
a hundred golden gyldens to hym deliuered for a rewarde. 
Hall, Henry VI., an. 14. 
gilder 1 (gil'der), n. [< gild 1 + -er 1 .] One who 
gilds; specifically, one who practises gilding 
as a trade or art. 
Gilders will not work but inclosed. They must not dis- 
cover [reveal) how little serves, with the helpe of art, to 
adorne a great deal. B. Jonson, Epiccene, i. 1. 
gilder 2 , . See guilder. 
gildhall, guildhall (gild'hal), n. [< ME. gilde- 
halle, gylde-, yelde-, yeld-, gilde-halle (> OF. 
gildhalte, guihale, gliihalle), < AS. gegyldheall, < 
gegyld, a gild, 4- heall, hall : see gild* and hall.'] 
The hall where a gild or corporation usually as- 
sembles ; a town or corporation hall ; specifi- 
cally (with a capital), the corporation hall and 
seat of several of the courts of the city of 
London, England. 
To be presysed lawfully in the Yeldehall of the saide 
cite. English Gilds (E. E. T. S.), p. 332. 
The mayor towards Guildhall hies him in all post. 
Shak., Rich. III., iii. 5. 
gilet 
In many cities and towns in England (including the 
City of London), the "Gild flail" and the "Town Hall" 
are still one and the same thing. 
English Gilds (E. E. T. S.), p. 250. 
It is provided that no one who is not of the guildhall 
shall exercise any merchandise in the town or suburbs, 
except as was customary in the reign of Henry I. 
Stubbs, Const. Hist., 485. 
gildic, guildic (gil'dik), a. [< gild 1 *, guild, + 
-ic.] Of or pertaining to a gild. [Rare.] 
It [the Passion Play] is eminently national, although it 
is animated by the old guildic local spirit. 
G. S. Hall, German Culture, p. 39. 
gilding (gil'ding), n. [< ME. gildinge; verbal 
n. of gild*, v.'] 1. The art of overlaying or dec- 
orating with gold. A great number of processes are 
employed, which may be divided into two chief classes, 
mechanical and chemical. The first includes all the com- 
mon methods of gilding by laying gold-leaf or gold-pow- 
der upon an adhesive surface, as in sign-painting, house- 
decorating, etc. The soldering of gold to a cheaper metal 
and rolling both down to a thin sheet is properly gold-plat- 
ing. The chemical processes in gilding include electroplat- 
ing with gold, by applying gold in an amalgam and after- 
ward driving off the mercury by heat, applying gold to 
metals by dipping them in a bath of some solution of gold, 
and enameling with gold on porcelain or glass, the gold 
being put on the ware as a paint and afterward vitrified 
in a furnace. 
2. The art or practice of producing the ap- 
pearance of gilding by the use of other mate- 
rials than gold. Compare gild 1 , v. 3. That 
which is laid on in overlaying with gold; hence, 
any superficial coating used to give a better 
appearance to a thing than is natural to it. 
Could laureate Dryden pimp and friar engage, . . . 
And I not strip the gilding off a knave? 
Pope, Imit. of Horace, II. 1. 116. 
4. A rich golden color imparted to herrings 
by the use of hard wood only in smoking them. 
Amalgam gilding. See amalgam. Cold gliding, 
gilding on silver performed by means of a solution of gold 
in aqua regia, applied by dipping a linen rag into the solu* 
tion, burning it, and rubbing the heavy black ashes on the 
surface of the silver with the finger or a piece of leather 
or cork. Immersion gilding, gilding by plunging into 
any solution of gold. Japannere' gliding, gilding by 
means of powdered gold-dust, which is applied to the sur- 
face by being dabbed or dusted upon size before it is dry. 
Leaf gliding, see leaf-gilding. Mercurial gilding. 
Same as wash-gilding, 
gilding-press (gil'ding-pres), n. In bookbind- 
ing, a press used to gild the covers and edges of 
books. 
gilding-tool (gil'ding-tol), . In bookbinding, 
a brass hand-stamp fitted to a handle, with 
which the finisher stamps a design on the 
book-cover. When the design is of a long con- 
tinuous pattern, the tool used is a small rotat- 
ing wheel. 
gilding-wax (gil'ding-waks), w. A compound 
of beeswax with red ocher, verdigris, copper- 
scales, alum, vitriol, or borax, a coating of 
which is applied to the surface of an article 
which has been gilded by wash-gilding, and 
then burned off by heat, in order to improve 
the color of the gilding. 
gild-rent (gild'rent), n. Rent payable to the 
crown by a gild or fraternity in Great Britain. 
gildry, guildry (gild'ri), . [< gild?, guild, + 
-rif.] In Scotland, a gild; the members of a 
gild. 
gildshipt (gild'ship), n. [ME. *gyldshipe, < AS. 
gildscipe, gegildscipe, a gild, < gild, a payment, 
gegild, a gild, + -scipe, E. -ship : see gild 2 and 
-ship.] A gild; any association for mutual aid. 
The famous " Judicia Civitatis Lundoniae" of Athel- 
stan's time (A. D. 924-940) contains ordinances for the 
keeping up of social duties in the Gilds, or Gild-ships as 
they are there called, of London. 
English Gilds (E. E. T. S.), p. xvii. 
We have seen in the capitulary of Louis le Debonnaire., 
of the year 821, that fiildships among the serfs are not only 
denounced, but the lords are commanded under a threat 
of penalties to suppress them. 
W. K. Sullivan, Introd. to O'Curry's Anc. Irish, p. ccxiv. 
gildwitet,. [ME., also gildwyte; <gild? + wife.] 
A fine payable to a gild. 
If it is found by his bretheren that he had no guest, but 
stayed at home through idleness, he shall be in the Gild- 
icyt of half a bushel of barley. 
English Gilds (K E. T. S.), p. 185. 
gilet, n. A Middle English form of guile 2 . 
gileryt, . [ME. also gillery, gilerie, gilry; < 
OF. guilerie, gillerie, guile, < guiler, guile : see 
guile 1 .'] Guile; fraud. 
Also here es forbodene gillertf of weghte or of tale or of 
mett or of mesure, or thorow okyre, or violence or drede. 
JJampole, Prose Treatises (E. E. T. S.), p. 11. 
gilet (zhe-la'), [F., a waistcoat.] A waist- 
coat or vest ; in English, particularly in dress- 
making, the front of a bodice or waist of a 
woman's dress, so made as somewhat to re- 
semble a man's waistcoat. 
