ENGLISH
REFERENCE

gilt

n. countable
C1 Advanced US //ˈɡɪɫt// UK //ɡˈɪlt// gilt Archaic Dialect Slang

n. a high-quality bond issued by the UK government. It is considered a very safe way for people and companies to invest their money.

n. a fixed-interest bond issued by the British government to raise capital. Often used in the plural to refer to the market for these securities.


SIMPLE

Many investors buy gilts because they are very safe.

CONTEXTUAL

When the economy is uncertain, investors often move their money into gilts to protect their capital.

COMPLEX

The sudden rise in interest rates caused the market value of long-term gilts to drop significantly, affecting pension fund portfolios across the country.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

Formed in English from the verb gild (“to cover in gold”). Compare gold and German Geld.

Etymology 2

From Middle English gilt, gylt, from Old Norse gyltr; compare geld and yelt.

Usage

Often used in the plural ('gilts') when referring to the asset class or market.

Pitfall

the gilted framethe gilded frameLearners confuse the financial noun 'gilt' with the adjective 'gilded', which means covered in a thin layer of gold.

Idioms1 entry

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