Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Language: Old English
Origin: gyldan

gild

 verb
     
gild [transitive]
1 to cover something with a thin layer of gold or with something that looks like gold:
a gilded frame
2 literary to make something look as if it is covered in gold:
The autumn sun gilded the lake.
3

gild the lily

to spoil something by trying to improve it when it is already good enough
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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