Adjacent Words

Golden definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

GOLDEN, a. goldn. Made of gold; consisting of gold.
1. Bright; shining; splendid; as the golden sun.
Reclining soft on many a golden cloud.
2. Yellow; of a gold color; as a golden harvest; golden fruit.
3. Excellent; most valuable; as the golden rule.
4. Happy; pure; as the golden age, the age of simplicity and purity of manners.
5. Preeminently favorable or auspicious.
Let not slip the golden opportunity.
Golden number, in chronology, a number showing the year of the moon's cycle.
Golden rule, in arithmetic, the rule of three or rule of proportion.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: having the deep slightly brownish color of gold; "long aureate (or golden) hair"; "a gold carpet" [syn: aureate, gilded, gilt, gold, golden]
2: marked by peace and prosperity; "a golden era"; "the halcyon days of the clipper trade" [syn: golden, halcyon, prosperous]
3: made from or covered with gold; "gold coins"; "the gold dome of the Capitol"; "the golden calf"; "gilded icons" [syn: gold, golden, gilded]
4: supremely favored; "golden lads and girls all must / like chimney sweepers come to dust" [syn: fortunate, golden]
5: suggestive of gold; "a golden voice"
6: presaging or likely to bring good luck; "a favorable time to ask for a raise"; "lucky stars"; "a prosperous moment to make a decision" [syn: golden, favorable, favourable, lucky, prosperous]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Middle English Date: 13th century 1. consisting of, relating to, or containing gold 2. a. being or having the color gold or the color of gold b. blond 1 3. lustrous, shining 4. of a high degree of excellence ; superb 5. prosperous, flourishing <golden days> 6. a. radiantly youthful and vigorous b. having talents that promise great success — often used with boy c. highly favored ; popular 7. favorable, advantageous <a golden opportunity> 8. of, relating to, or being a 50th anniversary or its celebration 9. mellow, resonant <a smooth golden tenor> • goldenly adverb • goldenness noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 a made or consisting of gold (golden sovereign). b yielding gold. 2 coloured or shining like gold (golden hair). 3 precious; valuable; excellent; important (a golden memory; a golden opportunity). Phrases and idioms: golden age 1 a supposed past age when people were happy and innocent. 2 the period of a nation's greatest prosperity, literary merit, etc. golden-ager US an old person. golden balls a pawnbroker's sign. golden boy (or girl) colloq. a popular or successful person. golden calf wealth as an object of worship (Exod. 32). golden chain the laburnum. golden delicious a variety of dessert apple. golden disc an award given to a performer after the sale of 500,000 copies of a record. golden eagle a large eagle, Aquila chrysaetos, with yellow-tipped head-feathers. golden-eye any marine duck of the genus Bucephala. Golden Fleece (in Greek mythology) a fleece of gold sought and won by Jason. golden goose a continuing source of wealth or profit. golden hamster a usu. tawny hamster, Mesocricetus auratus, kept as a pet or laboratory animal. golden handshake colloq. a payment given on redundancy or early retirement. golden hello colloq. a payment made by an employer to a keenly sought recruit. Golden Horde the Tartar horde that overran E. Europe in the 13th c. (from the richness of the leader's tent). Golden Horn the harbour of Istanbul. golden jubilee 1 the fiftieth anniversary of a sovereign's accession. 2 any other fiftieth anniversary. golden mean 1 the principle of moderation, as opposed to excess. 2 = golden section. golden number the number of a year in the Metonic lunar cycle, used to fix the date of Easter. golden oldie colloq. an old hit record or film etc. that is still well known and popular. golden opinions high regard. golden oriole a European oriole, Oriolus oriolus, of which the male has yellow and black plumage and the female has mainly green plumage. golden perch Austral. = CALLOP. golden retriever a retriever with a thick golden-coloured coat. golden rod any plant of the genus Solidago with a rodlike stem and a spike of small bright-yellow flowers. golden rule a basic principle of action, esp. 'do as you would be done by'. golden section the division of a line so that the whole is to the greater part as that part is to the smaller part. Golden State US California. golden syrup Brit. a pale treacle. golden wedding the fiftieth anniversary of a wedding. Derivatives: goldenly adv. goldenness n.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Note: The common, or English, {pheasant ({Phasianus Colchicus.html">pheasant.html">common, or English, {pheasant ({Phasianus Colchicus) is now found over most of temperate Europe, but was introduced from Asia. The ring-necked pheasant (P. torquatus) and the green pheasant (P. versicolor) have been introduced into Oregon. The golden pheasant (Thaumalea picta) is one of the most beautiful species. The silver pheasant (Euplocamus nychthemerus) of China, and several related species from Southern Asia, are very beautiful. 2. (Zo["o]l.) The ruffed grouse. [Southern U.S.] Note: Various other birds are locally called pheasants, as the lyre bird, the leipoa, etc. Fireback pheasant. See Fireback. Gold, or Golden, pheasant (Zo["o]l.), a Chinese pheasant (Thaumalea picta), having rich, varied colors. The crest is amber-colored, the rump is golden yellow, and the under parts are scarlet. Mountain pheasant (Zo["o]l.), the ruffed grouse. [Local, U.S.] Pheasant coucal (Zo["o]l.), a large Australian cuckoo (Centropus phasianus). The general color is black, with chestnut wings and brown tail. Called also pheasant cuckoo. The name is also applied to other allied species. Pheasant duck. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The pintail. (b) The hooded merganser. Pheasant parrot (Zo["o]l.), a large and beautiful Australian parrakeet (Platycercus Adelaidensis). The male has the back black, the feathers margined with yellowish blue and scarlet, the quills deep blue, the wing coverts and cheeks light blue, the crown, sides of the neck, breast, and middle of the belly scarlet. Pheasant's eye. (Bot.) (a) A red-flowered herb (Adonis autumnalis) of the Crowfoot family; -- called also pheasant's-eye Adonis. (b) The garden pink (Dianthus plumarius); -- called also Pheasant's-eye pink. Pheasant shell (Zo["o]l.), any marine univalve shell of the genus Phasianella, of which numerous species are found in tropical seas. The shell is smooth and usually richly colored, the colors often forming blotches like those of a pheasant. Pheasant wood. (Bot.) Same as Partridge wood (a), under Partridge. Sea pheasant (Zo["o]l.), the pintail. Water pheasant. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The sheldrake. (b) The hooded merganser.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Golden Gold"en, a. [OE. golden; cf. OE. gulden, AS. gylden, from gold. See Gold, and cf. Guilder.] 1. Made of gold; consisting of gold. 2. Having the color of gold; as, the golden grain. 3. Very precious; highly valuable; excellent; eminently auspicious; as, golden opinions. Golden age. (a) The fabulous age of primeval simplicity and purity of manners in rural employments, followed by the silver, bronze, and iron ages. --Dryden. (b) (Roman Literature) The best part (B. C. 81 -- A. D. 14) of the classical period of Latinity; the time when Cicero, C[ae]sar, Virgil, etc., wrote. Hence: (c) That period in the history of a literature, etc., when it flourishes in its greatest purity or attains its greatest glory; as, the Elizabethan age has been considered the golden age of English literature. Golden balls, three gilt balls used as a sign of a pawnbroker's office or shop; -- originally taken from the coat of arms of Lombardy, the first money lenders in London having been Lombards. Golden bull. See under Bull, an edict. Golden chain (Bot.), the shrub Cytisus Laburnum, so named from its long clusters of yellow blossoms. Golden club (Bot.), an aquatic plant (Orontium aquaticum), bearing a thick spike of minute yellow flowers. Golden cup (Bot.), the buttercup. Golden eagle (Zo["o]l.), a large and powerful eagle (Aquila Chrysa["e]tos) inhabiting Europe, Asia, and North America. It is so called from the brownish yellow tips of the feathers on the head and neck. A dark variety is called the royal eagle; the young in the second year is the ring-tailed eagle. Golden fleece. (a) (Mythol.) The fleece of gold fabled to have been taken from the ram that bore Phryxus through the air to Colchis, and in quest of which Jason undertook the Argonautic expedition. (b) (Her.) An order of knighthood instituted in 1429 by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy; -- called also Toison d'Or. Golden grease, a bribe; a fee. [Slang] Golden hair (Bot.), a South African shrubby composite plant with golden yellow flowers, the Chrysocoma Coma-aurea. Golden Horde (Hist.), a tribe of Mongolian Tartars who overran and settled in Southern Russia early in the 18th century. Golden Legend, a hagiology (the ``Aurea Legenda'') written by James de Voragine, Archbishop of Genoa, in the 13th century, translated and printed by Caxton in 1483, and partially paraphrased by Longfellow in a poem thus entitled. Golden marcasite tin. [Obs.] Golden mean, the way of wisdom and safety between extremes; sufficiency without excess; moderation. Angels guard him in the golden mean. --Pope. Golden mole (Zo["o]l), one of several South African Insectivora of the family Chrysochlorid[ae], resembling moles in form and habits. The fur is tinted with green, purple, and gold. Golden number (Chronol.), a number showing the year of the lunar or Metonic cycle. It is reckoned from 1 to 19, and is so called from having formerly been written in the calendar in gold. Golden oriole. (Zo["o]l.) See Oriole. Golden pheasant. See under Pheasant. Golden pippin, a kind of apple, of a bright yellow color. Golden plover (Zo["o]l.), one of several species of plovers, of the genus Charadrius, esp. the European (C. apricarius, or pluvialis; -- called also yellow, black-breasted, hill, & whistling, plover. The common American species (C. dominicus) is also called frostbird, and bullhead. Golden robin. (Zo["o]l.) See Baltimore oriole, in Vocab. Golden rose (R. C. Ch.), a gold or gilded rose blessed by the pope on the fourth Sunday in Lent, and sent to some church or person in recognition of special services rendered to the Holy See. Golden rule. (a) The rule of doing as we would have others do to us. Cf. --Luke vi. 31. (b) The rule of proportion, or rule of three. Golden samphire (Bot.), a composite plant (Inula crithmoides), found on the seashore of Europe. Golden saxifrage (Bot.), a low herb with yellow flowers (Chrysosplenium oppositifolium), blossoming in wet places in early spring. Golden seal (Bot.), a perennial ranunculaceous herb (Hydrastis Canadensis), with a thick knotted rootstock and large rounded leaves. Golden sulphide, or sulphuret, of antimony (Chem.), the pentasulphide of antimony, a golden or orange yellow powder. Golden warbler (Zo["o]l.), a common American wood warbler (Dendroica [ae]stiva); -- called also blue-eyed yellow warbler, garden warbler, and summer yellow bird. Golden wasp (Zo["o]l.), a bright-colored hymenopterous insect, of the family Chrysidid[ae]. The colors are golden, blue, and green. Golden wedding. See under Wedding.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. Something that is golden is bright yellow in colour. She combed and arranged her golden hair. ...an endless golden beach. ADJ 2. Golden things are made of gold. ...a golden chain with a golden locket. ADJ: usu ADJ n 3. If you describe something as golden, you mean it is wonderful because it is likely to be successful and rewarding, or because it is the best of its kind. He says there's a golden opportunity for peace which must be seized. ADJ: ADJ n 4. If you refer to a man as a golden boy or a woman as a golden girl, you mean that they are especially popular and successful. When the movie came out the critics went wild, hailing Tarantino as the golden boy of the 1990s. PHRASE

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Of gold. 2. Bright, shining, splendid, resplendent, brilliant. 3. Yellow, of a gold color. 4. Excellent, precious, of great value. 5. Auspicious, favorable, opportune, propitious. 6. Delightful, glorious, happy, blest, halcyon.

Moby Thesaurus

achingly sweet, advantageous, agreeable, agreeable-sounding, appealing, ariose, arioso, aureate, auric, auriferous, aurous, auspicious, beige, benign, benignant, beyond price, blessed, blissful, blond, brass, brassy, brazen, bright, brilliant, bronze, bronzy, buff, buff-yellow, canary, canary-yellow, canorous, cantabile, catchy, cherished, citron, citron-yellow, copper, coppery, cream, creamy, cupreous, cuprous, dazzling, dear, delightful, divine, dulcet, ecru, euphonic, euphonious, euphonous, excellent, exceptional, exquisite, exuberant, fair, fallow, favorable, favored, favoring, favorite, ferrous, ferruginous, fertile, fine-toned, flaxen, flourishing, fortunate, full of promise, gifted, gilded, gilt, gilt-edged, gleaming, glittering, glorious, glowing, gold, gold-colored, gold-filled, gold-plated, golden-tongued, golden-voiced, good, good as gold, halcyon, happy, heavenly, honeyed, immense, inestimable, invaluable, iron, ironlike, joyful, joyous, lead, leaden, lemon, lemon-yellow, liquid, lucky, lustrous, luteolous, lutescent, magnificent, marvelous, melic, mellifluent, mellifluous, mellisonant, mellow, melodic, melodious, mercurial, mercurous, music-flowing, music-like, musical, nickel, nickelic, nickeline, ocherish, ocherous, ochery, ochreous, ochroid, ochrous, ochry, of good omen, of great price, of happy portent, of promise, opportune, optimistic, or, outstanding, palmy, pet, pewter, pewtery, pleasant, pleasant-sounding, precious, priceless, primrose, primrose-colored, primrose-yellow, productive, promising, propitious, prosperous, quicksilver, radiant, resplendent, rich, rosy, saffron, saffron-colored, saffron-yellow, sallow, sand-colored, sandy, sensational, shining, shiny, silver, silver-plated, silver-toned, silver-tongued, silver-voiced, silvery, singable, songful, songlike, sonorous, sparkling, special, splendid, splendiferous, steel, steely, sterling, straw, straw-colored, successful, sunny, super, superb, supereminent, superexcellent, superfine, sweet, sweet-flowing, sweet-sounding, talented, terrific, thriving, tin, tinny, tremendous, tunable, tuneful, valuable, white-haired, wonderful, worthy, xanthic, xanthous, yellow, yellowish