Learn English – ‘Golden spoon’ or ‘Gold spoon’ -if the spoon is made of gold

adjectivesnounsword-choice

Adjective or noun?

A golden spoon or A gold spoon

What to use? A spoon is made of gold.

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Dictionary says:

golden (adjective) -made of gold

But then… (the same page)

golden (adjective) – bright yellow in colour like gold

So, what should we prefer while referring to a spoon made of gold?

Best Answer

Idiomatically, if we are referring to the spoon made of gold with the emphasis on it being a high quality gold spoon, and not just a gold-colored spoon, we call it a "gold spoon". Similarly, when a buyer is interested in buying something made of gold, they want a gold spoon, a gold ring, a gold necklace, a gold watch, etc.

Note that "gold" is both a noun (the substance/element gold) and an adjective (the color gold). Nouns can "act like an adjective" to modify another noun; this is called a noun adjunct. So a "gold necklace" is "a necklace of gold (the metal)", and a "gold spoon" is a "spoon made of gold". See also attributive nouns.

But "gold" can also be an adjective for the color of gold! So how does one know if your "gold spoon" is a NOUN-spoon containing the element Au (gold) or just happens to be an ADJECTIVE-spoon, like a plastic gold spoon from a box of gold-colored utensils? That has to be resolved by context.

Golden is an adjective describing the color gold (golden hair), made of gold (a golden crown), or metaphorical qualities of gold, such as success or prosperity as in "golden opportunities" (See google definition). While gold can be used for similar connotations, golden is more deeply connected to its metaphorical connotations, and is used to "sound fancy" or metaphorical as above.

One might describe eating at a fancy feast "using a golden spoon encrusted with diamonds", which very well may be gold-plated or better. In this case, referring to it as a "gold spoon" would sound too objective and plain.