guild
/ɡɪld/ noun, proper noun
Forms guilds gild
- noun A group or association mainly of tradespeople made up of merchants, craftspeople, or artisans, particularly in the Middle Ages, established to oversee and protect their specific commercial interests and to provide mutual aid.
- noun A corporation.
- noun (ecology) A group of diverse species that share common characteristics or habits.
- noun (collective, video games) An organized group of players who regularly play together in a multiplayer game.
- proper noun A surname.
- proper noun An unincorporated community in Texas County, Missouri.
- proper noun A community in the town of Newport, Sullivan County, New Hampshire.
Synonyms
Hanse trade union union professional association club social club society gild lodge order
Etymology
From Middle English gilde, from Old Norse gildi (“payment, guild”). Related to geld, yield, yauld.
Webster’s 1913
- noun An association of men belonging to the same class, or engaged in kindred pursuits, formed for mutual aid and protection; a business fraternity or corporation; as, the Stationers' Guild; the Ironmongers' Guild. They were originally licensed by the government, and endowed with special privileges and authority.
- noun A guildhall. [Obs.] Spenser.
Etymology [OE. gilds, AS. gild, gield, geld, tribute, a society or company where payment was made for its charge and support, fr. AS. gildan, gieldan, to pay. See Yield, v. t.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “guild”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details