Antonyms for guild


Grammar : Noun
Spell : gild
Phonetic Transcription : gɪld


Definition of guild

Origin :
  • early 13c., yilde (spelling later influenced by Old Norse gildi "guild, brotherhood"), a semantic fusion of Old English gegyld "guild" and gild, gyld "payment, tribute, compensation," from Proto-Germanic *gelth- "pay" (cf. Old Frisian geld "money," Old Saxon geld "payment, sacrifice, reward," Old High German gelt "payment, tribute;" see yield (v.)).
  • The connecting sense is of a tribute or payment to join a protective or trade society. But some see the root in its alternative sense of "sacrifice," as if in worship, and see the word as meaning a combination for religious purposes, either Christian or pagan. The Anglo-Saxon guilds had a strong religious component; they were burial societies that paid for masses for the souls of deceased members as well as paying fines in cases of justified crime. The continental custom of guilds of merchants arrived after the Conquest, with incorporated societies of merchants in each town or city holding exclusive rights of doing business there. In many cases they became the governing body of a town (cf. Guildhall, which came to be the London city hall). Trade guilds arose 14c., as craftsmen united to protect their common interest.
  • noun association, fellowship
Example sentences :
  • To what guild or brotherhood of impetuous travellers had he ascribed me?
  • Extract from : « A Day's Ride » by Charles James Lever
  • Then it is, in a measure, fair that we judge this creature's guild through him.
  • Extract from : « Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete » by Albert Bigelow Paine
  • Tem Rend's application had finally been accepted by the Assassin's Guild.
  • Extract from : « The Status Civilization » by Robert Sheckley
  • It's a guild as old, and a deal more honorable, than the beggar's.
  • Extract from : « The Coast of Chance » by Esther Chamberlain
  • The aim of the Guild charities was the same as the aim of the Common Land.
  • Extract from : « A Short History of England » by G. K. Chesterton
  • The scenes were painted expressly in aid of the "Guild," and admirably done.
  • Extract from : « Glances at Europe » by Horace Greeley
  • The members have to contribute something yearly to the guild.
  • Extract from : « New Italian sketches » by John Addington Symonds
  • And in order to take the exams you have to find a sponsor who's already in the guild.
  • Extract from : « Starman's Quest » by Robert Silverberg
  • The guilds are virtually hereditary, even the fruit venders' guild.
  • Extract from : « Starman's Quest » by Robert Silverberg
  • No Chinese stands alone; behind him is the family, the clan, the guild.
  • Extract from : « A Wayfarer in China » by Elizabeth Kendall

Synonyms for guild

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019