geld Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb cut off the testicles (of male animals such as horses)
    cut.
    • the vet gelded the young horse

WordNet

Geld noun
Etymology
AS. gild, gield, geld, tribute, payment, fr. gieldan to pay, render. See Yield.
Definitions
  1. Money; tribute; compensation; ransom.Obs. ✍ This word occurs in old law books in composition, as in danegeld, or danegelt, a tax imposed by the Danes; weregeld, compensation for the life of a man, etc.
Geld transitive verb
Etymology
Icel. gelda to castrate; akin to Dan. gilde, Sw. gälla, and cf. AS. gilte a young sow, OHG. galt dry, not giving milk, G. gelt, Goth. gilpa siclke.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Gelded or Gelt (); present participle & verbal noun Gelding
Definitions
  1. To castrate; to emasculate.
  2. To deprive of anything essential.
    Bereft and gelded of his patrimony. Shak.
  3. To deprive of anything exceptionable; as, to geld a book, or a story; to expurgate. Obs. Dryden.

Webster 1913