From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgildgild /ɡɪld/ verb [transitive] 1 AVPto cover something with a thin layer of gold or with something that looks like gold a gilded frame2 literaryAL to make something look as if it is covered in gold The autumn sun gilded the lake.3 → gild the lily→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
gild• The skulls were gilded and taken out for yearly veneration.• If it was a time of science and silks and gilded barges, it was also a time of pox.• There was the altar, with its gilded borders and red sheen that absorbed the glazed white bowls and cups.• Wind and sun had gilded her arms and legs honey-brown, hiding the last of the fading bruises.• Now, naked, simmering with annoyance, the deepening light gilding him, he was no less imposing.• She simply knows that icons, even the most gilded of them, are made to be hung on a wall.• When Joe inquired about these details, the duke said that gilded window frames were economical because they required no repainting.• Even the horn was of a much lighter colour than usual, although it had been gilded with silver.Origin gild Old English gyldan 