'gilt-stamped' originates from Modern English as a compound of 'gilt' and 'stamped'. 'gilt' ultimately comes from Old English 'gyldan' (past participle 'gylt'), where the root 'gild-' meant 'to cover with gold'; 'stamp' comes from Old Norse 'stampa' / Old English reflexes of a root meaning 'to pound, press, or impress'.

'gilt' changed from Old English forms (from the verb 'gildan' / past participle 'gylt') into Middle English 'gilt' and then into modern English 'gilt'. 'stamp' evolved from Old Norse 'stampa' and Middle English 'stamp(en)' to modern English 'stamp'. The two elements were combined in Modern English to form 'gilt-stamped'.

Initially the components meant 'covered with gold' (gilt) and 'to press or impress' (stamp); combined, the compound came to mean specifically 'stamped or impressed with gold', a sense that has remained stable in modern usage.