Gold leaf is gold that has been beaten flat into very thin sheets and is used for decoration, for example to form the letters on the cover of a book.
gold leaf in British English
noun
very thin gold sheet with a thickness usually between 0.076 and 0.127 micrometre, produced by rolling or hammering gold and used for gilding woodwork, etc
gold leaf in American English
gold beaten into very thin sheets, used for gilding
Examples of 'gold leaf' in a sentence
gold leaf
The honours board has almost made gold leaf extinct.
The Sun (2016)
Serve with a scattering of edible gold leaf and sparklers to make it extra special, if you like.
The Sun (2016)
Gold leaf was lavished on their walls while the country was on the verge of economic collapse.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Add the gold leaf for a really glitzy finish.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
There are acres of gold leaf.
The Times Literary Supplement (2010)
There's a small piece of wood missing from a hand rail and there's some gold leaf that needs repairing.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Frankly, I think gold leaf loo roll is a bit naff.
The Sun (2013)
As the stories of their lives begin to reappear, they return brilliance to the peeling gold leaf on the picture frame of British history.
Gifford, Zerbanoo The Golden Thread - Asian experiences of post-Raj Britain (1990)