Plural of guild: associations of craftspeople, merchants, or artisans in medieval and early modern times, organized to protect interests and regulate trades.
From Old English 'gild' and Old Norse 'gildi,' meaning payment or contribution. The word originally meant a social group bound by shared payment or obligation.
Medieval guilds controlled everything—prices, quality, training, hours—and were so powerful that kings negotiated with them like nations with each other!
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