gelt

noun

1
informal : money
Guilt turns to gelt as Stephanie's wealthy parents … welcome their disowned daughter back with open arms and open coffers.TV Guide
2
: chocolate candy in the shape of coins often given to Jewish children at Hanukkah
Lila thought of Sarah's party—how everyone got bags of Hanukkah gelt, chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil.Rosellen Brown

Examples of gelt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Pages come laden with Hanukkah items such as gelt, menorahs, dreidels, and more, all in classic Hanukkah colors of blue, white, and gold. Amanda Ogle, Southern Living, 22 Nov. 2023 Price at time of publish: Varies Hanukkah gelt are chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil, often given to kids during the menorah lighting. Amanda Ogle, Southern Living, 22 Nov. 2023 Afterward, there are gifts for children, dreidel games, yummy chocolate gelt, and other merriment. Holly Rizzuto Palker, Parents, 20 Aug. 2023 Hoping for a lot of Hanukkah gelt. Steven Levy, Wired, 11 Dec. 2020 Also available: latkes, prizes and Chanukah gelt. Cathy Kozlowicz, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 18 Nov. 2020 As Jason Turbow recounts in this fun piece at Grubstreet, the New York City Bagel Makers’ Union Local 338 — a membership made almost solely of Jewish bagel makers and their sons — wasn’t prepared to share the gelt. Krista Stevens, Longreads, 10 Aug. 2020 Don't forget to stock up on Hanukkah gelt! Jamie Kravitz, Woman's Day, 10 Oct. 2022 There’ll be a fire show, music, activities for kids, and latkes, doughnuts and gelt. Dallas News, 15 Dec. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gelt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Dutch & German geld & Yiddish gelt; all akin to Old English geld geld entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1529, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of gelt was circa 1529

Dictionary Entries Near gelt

Cite this Entry

“Gelt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gelt. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!