Etymologically
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golden

Etymology and origin of the English word golden

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1275
Ultimate origin
English (gold)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English gold
English golden

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈɡəʊl.dən/, US /ˈɡoʊl.dən/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English golden, formed from English gold + -en,[2][3] replacing Middle English gilden, from Old English gylden.[2][4] Gold is one of the few modern English nouns that form adjectives meaning “made of” with -en, as in wooden and leaden.[2] It is related to gold and gild.[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Made of gold: about 1275 in the OED,[5] about 1300 in Etymonline.[2]

Semantic evolution

“Of the colour of gold” is from the late 14th century[2] (about 1300 in the OED),[5] and the figurative “excellent, precious, most valuable” also from the late 14th century.[2][5] “Favourable, auspicious”, as in a golden opportunity, is from about 1600.[2][5] The golden mean translates Horace's aurea mediocritas,[2] and golden age, an idyllic period in the past, is from late Middle English,[4] the 1550s in Etymonline, after the Greek and Roman poets' name for the first age of mankind;[2][4] as “old age” it is from 1961.[2] Golden rule was earlier golden law (1670s),[2] and in mathematics the golden rule was the rule of three (1542).[5] To kill the goose that lays the golden eggs is from 1597.[5] The golden handshake is from the late 1950s, followed by golden handcuffs (1960s) and golden hello (1980s).[4]

Timeline

  • c. 1275 – made of gold.[5]
  • late 14th century – precious, excellent.[2]
  • 1542 – golden rule in arithmetic.[5]
  • 1550s – golden age.[2]
  • c. 1600 – auspicious.[2]
  • 1670s – golden law.[2]
  • late 1950s – golden handshake.[4]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Made of or containing gold.
  2. Having the colour of gold.
  3. Shining; radiant.
  4. Of great value; precious: a golden opportunity.
  5. Marked by peace and prosperity: a golden age.
  6. Of a 50th anniversary: golden wedding.

Word family

  • goldenly
  • goldenness

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Golden.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/golden. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·