gelt

Meanings

Noun

• A lunatic.
• Gilding; gilt.
• A gelding.
• Money.
• Tribute; tax.
• Money, especially that given as a gift on Hanukkah or used in games of dreidel.
• Chocolate candy in the shape of coins, usually wrapped in metallic foil, usually eaten on Hanukkah and often used for games of dreidel.

Verb

• Past of geld

Origin

• From Irish geilt.
• Variation of gilt.
• See geld.
• In the basic sense of "money", attested since the early 16th century, initially from (an Early New High German continuation of) Middle High German gelt (modern German Geld), from Old High German gelt ("payment, money"), or in some cases from (an Early Modern Dutch continuation of) Middle Dutch gelt. The German, Dutch and Yiddish words are all from Proto-Germanic *geldą ("reward, gift, money"). Doublet of native words geld, and yield.