GUILD
club, social club, society, guild, gild, lodge, order
(noun) a formal association of people with similar interests; “he joined a golf club”; “they formed a small lunch society”; “men from the fraternal order will staff the soup kitchen today”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
guild (plural guilds)
A group or association mainly of tradespeople made up of merchants, craftspeople, or artisans for mutual aid, particularly in the Middle Ages.
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
Proper noun
Guild (plural Guilds)
A surname.
Statistics
• According to the 2010 United States Census, Guild is the 11250th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 2810 individuals. Guild is most common among White (88.83%) individuals.
Source: Wiktionary
Guild, n. Etym: [OE. gilds, AS. gild, gield, geld, tribute, a society
or company where payment was made for its charge and support, fr. AS.
gildan, gieldan, to pay. See Yield, v. t.]
1. An association of men belonging to the same class, or engaged in
kindred pursuits, formed for mutual aid and protection; a business
fraternity or corporation; as, the Stationers' Guild; the
Ironmongers' Guild. They were originally licensed by the government,
and endowed with special privileges and authority.
2. A guildhall. [Obs.] Spenser.
3. A religious association or society, organized for charitable
purposes or for assistance in parish work.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition