# golden
## English
### Alternative forms

* goulden (obsolete)

### Pronunciation

* (UK) IPA: /ˈɡəʊl.dən/, [ˈɡɒʊ̯ɫ.dn̩]
* (US) IPA: /ˈɡoʊl.dən/, [ˈɡəɫ.dn̩]
* Audio (California):(file)
* Audio (General Australian):(file)
* Rhymes: -əʊldən
* Hyphenation: gol‧den

### Etymology 1

From Middle English golden, a restored form (due to the noun gold) of earlier Middle English gulden, gylden, gilden ("golden"; > English gilden), from Old English gylden (“golden”), from Proto-West Germanic *gulþīn, from Proto-Germanic *gulþīnaz (“golden, made of gold”), equivalent to gold +‎ -en.
Cognate with Dutch gouden, gulden (“golden”), German gülden, golden (“golden”), Danish gylden (“golden”). Doublet of gilden. More at gold.

#### Adjective

golden (comparative more golden or goldener, superlative most golden or goldenest)
* Made of, or relating to, gold.
    She wore a golden crown.
** 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling:And now the concern which Partridge felt at being obliged to quit the warm chimney-corner, and a cup of excellent liquor, was somewhat compensated by hearing that he was to proceed no farther on foot, for Jones, by golden arguments, had prevailed with the boy to attend him back to the inn whither he had before conducted Sophia […]
* Having a color or other richness suggestive of gold.
    Under a golden sun.
    golden:
* Of a beverage, flavoured or colored with turmeric. [from c. 2010]
* Marked by prosperity, creativity etc.
    The Renaissance was a golden era.
    the Golden Horseshoe
** 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:O Partridge! could I hope once again to see that face; but, alas! all those golden dreams are vanished for ever, and my only refuge from future misery is to forget the object of all my former happiness.
* Advantageous or very favourable.
    This is a golden opportunity
** 2011 October 20, Jamie Lillywhite, “Tottenham 1 - 0 Rubin Kazan”, in BBC Sport‎:... a seasoned Champions League outfit, who beat Barcelona at the Nou Camp in 2009-10 and continually worked their way between the home defence to create some golden opportunities.
* Relating to a fiftieth anniversary.
    It's not long until our golden wedding.
* Relating to the elderly or retired.
    After retiring, Bob and Judy moved to Arizona to live out their golden years.
* (UK, slang, predicative) Fine, without problems.
** 2007, Colin Barr, Steve Katai, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Triathlon Training, Penguin, →ISBN, page 28:Many anti-fog variety goggles are available, but if you don't get that type, just rub a little spit on the lenses before you put them on in the water and you'll be golden.
** 2009, Mark Wiskup, Presentation S.O.S.: From Perspiration to Persuasion in 9 Easy Steps, Hachette UK, →ISBN:Therefore, the task ahead is easy. When the spotlight is on you, never let the audience down and you'll be golden.
** 2011, Wayne R. Dempsey, 101 Projects for Your Porsche Boxster, Motorbooks, →ISBN, page 68:If all of the marks line up perfectly, then you're golden, and you can continue on with finishing up the installation.

##### Synonyms

* (color of or like gold): see goldish § Synonyms

##### Derived terms

* a golden key can open any door
* American golden plover
* Asian golden cat
* Asiatic golden cat
* engolden
* Eurasian golden plover
* golden age
* golden-ager
* golden ager
* golden Alexanders
* golden alexanders
* golden alga
* golden alison
* golden alyssum
* golden-and-silver honeysuckle
* golden anniversary
* golden arches
* golden aster
* goldenback
* golden balls
* golden bamboo
* Golden Banana
* golden bandicoot
* golden BB
* golden beardgrass
* golden beetle
* golden berry
* goldenberry
* Golden Bible
* golden-billed saltator
* golden billion
* golden birthday
* golden boot
* golden boy
* golden-breasted fulvetta
* golden brown
* golden bull
* golden calf
* goldencarpet
* golden-chain
* golden chain
* golden chain tree
* golden-chain tree
* golden-cheeked warbler
* golden child
* golden chinquapin
* golden club
* golden-collared honeycreeper
* golden-collared manakin
* golden conebush
* golden contact
* golden crab
* Golden Crescent
* golden-crested wren
* golden-crowned spadebill
* golden-crowned warbler
* golden cup
* golden-cup oak
* golden currant
* golden cypress
* Golden Delicious
* golden dewdrop
* golden doodle
* golden duck
* golden dyssodia
* golden eagle
* golden egg
* golden egg bug
* golden era
* goldeneye
* golden-eyed
* goldenface
* golden falcon name
* Golden Fleece
* golden fruit dove
* goldengage
* Golden Gate Bridge
* golden girl
* golden glow
* golden goal
* golden goodbye
* golden goose
* golden grease
* golden-haired
* golden hamster
* golden handcuffs
* golden handshake
* golden hawksbeard
* golden-headed cisticola
* golden hello
* Golden Horde
* Golden Horn
* Golden Horseshoe
* Golden Horus name
* golden hour
* golden image
* goldenish
* golden jackal
* golden jade
* golden jelly fungus
* golden jubilee
* golden kelp
* golden king crab
* golden larch
* golden lion tamarin
* goldenly
* golden marcasite
* golden master
* golden mean
* golden mediocrity
* golden milk
* golden mole
* golden monkey
* golden-naped finch
* golden nematode
* goldenness
* golden number
* golden oldie
* golden opinions
* golden opportunity
* golden oriole
* golden pair
* golden palace monkey
* golden palm civet
* golden parachute
* golden passport
* golden pea
* golden penda
* golden perch
* golden pheasant
* Golden Plains
* golden plates
* golden plover
* golden pothos
* golden potto
* golden-rain
* golden rain
* golden-rain tree
* golden rain tree
* golden raisin
* golden ratio
* golden record
* golden rectangle
* golden retriever
* Golden Ribbon
* golden rice
* golden robin
* goldenrod
* golden rule
* golden sand-eater
* golden saxifrage
* goldenseal
* golden section
* golden set
* golden share
* golden shiner
* golden-shouldered parrot
* golden shower
* golden shower boy
* golden shower queen
* golden shower tree
* golden silk orb-weaver
* golden skirt
* golden slam
* golden sombrero
* golden spice
* golden spike
* golden spiral
* goldensprog
* Golden Square Mile
* golden staph
* golden star tunicate
* Golden State
* golden sulphur
* golden syrup
* goldentail
* golden thistle
* golden thread
* golden ticket
* golden time
* golden toad
* golden-tongued
* goldentop
* golden tortoise beetle
* golden touch
* golden triangle
* Golden Triangle
* Golden Trio
* golden-tuft alyssum
* golden-tuft madwort
* golden twanger
* Golden Valley
* Golden Valley County
* golden visa
* golden wand
* goldenware
* golden wattle
* golden wedding, golden wedding anniversary
* goldenweed
* Golden Week
* golden whistler
* golden wonder killifish
* goldeny
* golden yarrow
* golden years
* golden-yellow
* kill the goose that lays the golden eggs
* Knight of the Golden Circle
* mangrove golden whistler
* Mission golden-eyed treefrog
* red-legged golden orb-weaver spider
* silence is golden
* speech is silver, silence is golden
* ungolden

##### Translations
#### Noun

golden (plural goldens)
* Kyphosus vaigiensis, a fish found in southeast Asia.
* Ellipsis of golden retriever.
** 1995, Jaime J. Sucher, Golden Retrievers, Barron’s, →ISBN, page 76:The archives of the Golden Retriever Club of America (GRCA) record goldens in the United States as early as the 1890s.
** 2017, Linda Bozzo, I Like Golden Retrievers! (Discover Dogs with the American Canine Association), Enslow Publishing, pages 4 and 15:Golden retrievers, or goldens, make great family pets. […] Goldens should be brushed regularly.
** 2019, Sarah Frank, Golden Retrievers, Lerner Publishing Group, page 6:Throw a toy into the water, and watch your golden go for it!
** 2021, Marcie Aboff, Fast Facts About Golden Retrievers (Fast Facts About Dogs), Raintree, Capstone Global Library Limited, →ISBN, page 13:People like petting goldens.

### Etymology 2

From gold +‎ -en, or perhaps a derivation from the adjective above.

#### Verb

golden (third-person singular simple present goldens, present participle goldening, simple past and past participle goldened)
* (intransitive) To become gold or golden (in color).
* (transitive) To make golden or like gold.
** 1994, Marion H. Hedges, Iron City:It goldened, as nothing else goldened, the commonplace countryside.

##### Translations
### Anagrams

* Delong, dongle, longed

## Dutch
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -ɔldən

### Verb

golden
* inflection of gelden:
** plural past indicative
** (dated or formal) plural past subjunctive

### Anagrams

* dongel, gondel

## German
### Alternative forms

* gülden (archaic, poetic)
* gulden, gölden (obsolete)

### Etymology

Common since the 18th century. Alteration (after Gold (“gold”)) of older gulden, gülden, from Middle High German guldīn, güldīn, from Old High German guldīn, from Proto-Germanic *gulþīnaz. Equivalent to Gold +‎ -en. Cognate with Dutch gulden, gouden, English golden.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ɡɔldən/
* Audio (Germany):(file)
* Audio (Germany):(file)
* Audio (Austria):(file)
* Hyphenation: gol‧den

### Adjective

golden (strong nominative masculine singular goldener, comparative goldener, superlative am goldensten)
* golden; gold (made of gold)
* golden (gold-colored)

#### Synonyms

* (in predicative use) aus Gold
* (in attributive use) Gold-

#### Derived terms

* Goldene Zahl
* goldener Käfig
* Goldener Schnitt
* goldener Schuss
* goldenes Herz
* Gulden

### See also

* bronzefarbig
* ehern
* goldig
* kupfern
* metallisch
* rostig
* silbern
* silbrig
* zinnfarben

### Further reading

* “golden” in Duden online
* “golden” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

## Middle English
### Alternative forms

* goldene, goldyn, goldin, goldun, goldyng, goldein, gowuldyn, colden, coldin

### Etymology

From gilden, reformed by analogy with gold.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈɡɔldən/, /ˈɡoːldən/

### Adjective

golden
* Formed from gold.
* Decorated or covered with gold.
* Having a golden colour.
* (figurative) Of excellent quality or worth; precious, best.

#### Descendants

* English: golden
* Scots: gowden

#### See also

* gilden

### References

* “gōlden, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 27 April 2018.

## Old English
### Verb

golden
* past participle of ġieldan

## Plautdietsch
### Adjective

golden
* golden

## Spanish
### Noun

golden f (plural golden)
* Golden Delicious