begild means to cover with gold, or to make golden (in color, or figuratively). It carries an Arena rating of 1639, earned across 42 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, begild ranks #1,656 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #1,677 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #2,404 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #2,985 of 17,135 for Most Malleable Words.
Why “begild” is a great word
BEGILD — [Verb] To cover with gold or give a golden appearance or quality to, either literally or figuratively. From the English prefix be- (thoroughly, about, over) + gild (to cover with a thin layer of gold). First attested in the early 1600s. Unlike "gild," which specifies the careful application of a thin veneer, or "engild," which implies illuminating from within, to begild is to enact a total, often lavish, overlay. It is the craftsman obscuring base metal beneath a burnished carapace; the late autumn sun turning the entire landscape into a suffused metallic haze; practiced nostalgia burnishing a difficult past. The word suggests a world made mendacious and perfect by a single, comprehensive deceit.
Etymology
From be- + gild.
verb
- To cover with gold, or to make golden (in color, or figuratively).e.g.“bride-laces begilt” — a. 1638 (date written), Benjamin Jonson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Under-woods. Consisting of Divers Poems. (please specify the poem)”, in The Workes of Benjamin Jonson. The Second Volume. […] (Second Folio
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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