gilding

gilding is defined in Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1913) with 2 senses. The full text of each entry is reproduced verbatim below.

Definitions

  1. 1.Gold in leaf, powder, or liquid, for application to any surface.
  2. 2.Any superficial coating or appearance, as opposed to what is solid and genuine. Gilding metal, a tough kind of sheet brass from which cartridge shells are made.

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

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