Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

gelt

/ɡɛlt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.77 in modern English

Syllables: gelt
IPA: /ɡɛlt/

5

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

noun

Obsolete

verb

simple past and past participle of geld

noun

noun

Uncountable

noun

Uncountable

noun

Money, especially that given as a gift on Hanukkah or used in games of dreidel.

Uncountable

noun

Chocolate candy in the shape of coins, usually wrapped in metallic foil, usually eaten on Hanukkah and often used for games of dreidel.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"She […] like a ghastly Gelt whose wits are reaved, / Ran forth in hast with hideous outcry […]"
"spay'd Gelts"
"That nothynge had / There of theyr awne / Neyther gelt nor pawne."
"It amounts to not above 12000 Fr. Rhenish, yearly, in bare gelt."
"The is no Gelt to be got."
"I saw him at the house of my parents; I in my earliest youth, he approaching to fourscore. He was on his way to collect the Dominie's gelt; for the Dutch always took care the stipend to the minister should be competent, that so he never might be straitened 'to desire a gift.'"

Etymology

Borrowed from Irish geilt.

Origin

Source language: Middle High German

Word Breakdown

Root: gelt, געלט, *geldą

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /ɡɛlt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

gelts (plural)

Phrases

rum-gelt smear-gelt

Synonyms

boodle bread cabbage clams dinero dough kale lettuce lolly lucre loot moolah

Rhymes With

felt belt dealt melt clarke belt spelt bagel belt smelt pelt full pelt welt knelt

Questions

How do you pronounce gelt?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɡɛlt/.
What does gelt mean?: A lunatic.
Where does gelt come from?: It is traced to Middle High German.

How to pronounce gelt

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “gelt”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɡɛlt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “gelt”.
Repeat and practice — Say “gelt” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.