guild

== English == === Alternative forms === gild (archaic) === Etymology === From Middle English gilde, from Old Norse gildi (“payment, guild”). Related to geld, yield, yauld. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ɡɪld/ Rhymes: -ɪld Homophones: gild, gilled === Noun === guild (plural guilds) A group or association mainly of tradespeople made up of merchants, craftspeople, or artisans, particularly in the Middle Ages, established to oversee and protect their specific commercial interests and to provide mutual aid. A corporation. (ecology) A group of diverse species that share common characteristics or habits. (video games) An organized group of players who regularly play together in a multiplayer game. ==== Synonyms ==== (medieval professional associations): Hanse (merchants) (modern professional associations): trade union, union, professional association ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== (meeting place): guild hall, guildhall, guildsman, guildswoman, common house, common hall === Further reading === James A. H. Murray et al., editors (1884–1928), “Guild, gild”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), volume IV (F–G), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, pages 493–494. Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, HarperCollins Publishers, 2003 The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, fourth edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2009