Guild
/ɡɪld/
Definitions
An organization of people with common interests, goals, or purposes, especially a medieval association of merchants or craftspeople.
/ɡɪld/
An association of people for mutual aid or the pursuit of a common goal.
The blacksmith joined the local guild to improve his skills.
💡 Simply: Imagine a club for people who all do the same job, like bakers or artists. They help each other out and make sure everyone is doing good work. That's a guild!
👶 For kids: A group of people who do the same job and help each other.
More Examples
The author's guild offered support to new writers.
The carpenters formed a guild to protect their trade secrets and maintain quality standards.
How It's Used
"Medieval guilds regulated crafts and trade."
"The actors' guild protects the rights of its members."
Idioms & expressions
Guild of...
Used to describe a formal group or society focused on a specific craft, profession, or interest.
"The Guild of Architects held their annual conference last week."
From Middle English gilde, from Old English gilde, meaning "payment, contribution, association." It evolved to refer to a medieval association of merchants or craftspeople.
Guilds were central to the economic and social structure of medieval Europe, influencing manufacturing and trade.
Memory tip
Think of a 'gold' standard – a guild often brought prosperity and quality to its members.