Gold

ETYM AS. gold; akin to Dutch goud, OS. and German gold, Icel. gull, Swed. and Dan. guld, Goth. gulth, Russ. and Old Slav. zlato; prob. akin to Eng. yellow. Related to Yellow, Gild.
1. A soft yellow malleable ductile (trivalent and univalent) metallic element; occurs mainly as nuggets in rocks and alluvial deposits; reacts with few chemicals but is attacked by chlorine and aqua regia; SYN. Au, atomic number 79.
2. Coins made of gold.
3. Great wealth.
Shiny, yellow, ductile and very malleable, metallic element, symbol Au (from Latin aurum, “gold”), atomic number 79, atomic weight 197. It occurs in nature frequently as a free metal (see native metal) and is highly resistant to acids, tarnishing, and corrosion. Pure gold is the most malleable of all metals and is used as gold leaf or powder, where small amounts cover vast surfaces, such as gilded domes and statues.
The elemental form is so soft that it is alloyed for strength with a number of other metals, such as silver, copper, and platinum. Its purity is then measured in carats on a scale of 24 (24K = pure gold; 18K = 75% gold). It is used mainly for decorative purposes (jewelry, gilding) but also for coinage, dentistry, and conductivity in electronic devices.
Gold has been known and worked from ancient times, and currency systems were based on it in Western civilization, where mining it became an economic and imperialistic goal. In 1988 the three leading gold-producing countries were: South Africa, 563 tons; US, 186 tons; and Australia, 138 tons. In 1989 gold deposits were found in Greenland with an estimated yield of 11 tons per year.
The name is very old and derives from the Germanic form of Indo-European ghel, “to shine” or “to gleam”. + prikaži više