| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| gold |
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| PRONUNCIATION: |  g ld |
| NOUN: | 1a. Symbol Au A soft, yellow, corrosion-resistant element, the most malleable and ductile metal, occurring in veins and alluvial deposits and recovered by mining or by panning or sluicing. A good thermal and electrical conductor, gold is generally alloyed to increase its strength, and it is used as an international monetary standard, in jewelry, for decoration, and as a plated coating on a wide variety of electrical and mechanical components. Atomic number 79; atomic weight 196.967; melting point 1,063.0°C; boiling point 2,966.0°C; specific gravity 19.32; valence 1, 3. See table at element. b. Coinage made of this element. c. A gold standard. 2. Money; riches. 3. A light olive-brown to dark yellow, or a moderate, strong to vivid yellow. 4. Something regarded as having great value or goodness: a heart of gold. 5a. A medal made of gold awarded to one placing first in a competition, as in the Olympics: won 9 golds in 13 events. b. A gold record. | | ADJECTIVE: | Having the color of gold. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English, from Old English. See ghel-2 in Appendix I.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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