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guideline
guidepost
guider
guiderail
guideway
guiding
guiding light
guidon
guild
guild socialism
guilder
Guildford
guildhall
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guileless
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guild

guild [ gild ] (plural guilds) or gild [ gild ] (plural gilds)


noun 
Definition:
 
1. association of people with similar interests: a club, society, or other organization of people with common interests or goals

2. medieval trade association: an association of merchants or craftspersons in medieval Europe, formed to give help and advice to its members and to make regulations and set standards for a particular trade

3. group of organisms: a group of organisms that use the same environmental resources in a similar way

[14th century. Probably < Middle Low German, Middle Dutch gilde< Germanic]

guild·ship noun
guilds·man noun
guilds·wo·man noun

Spelling Note

guild or gild? Do not confuse the spelling of guild and gild, which sound similar. Guild is a noun denoting an association of people, as in a guild of craftspeople. Gild is a verb meaning "cover with gold" or "tinge with a golden color," as in gild a picture frame, clouds gilded by the setting sun. Note that the noun guild can also be spelled gild, but the verb gild cannot be spelled guild.

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