Wordnet 3.0
NOUN (2)
1.
a monetary standard under which the basic unit of currency is defined by a stated quantity of gold;
2.
a paragon of excellence;
- Example: "academic education is the gold standard against which other educational activity is pejoratively judged"
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
gold standard
n 1: a monetary standard under which the basic unit of currency
is defined by a stated quantity of gold
2: a paragon of excellence; "academic education is the gold
standard against which other educational activity is
pejoratively judged"