1. n. A CD made of gold, due to the metal's high durability, to be used as a master copy in mass duplication of software.
  2. adj. Describing a software product that has passed sufficient testing and review to warrant the production of a Golden Master.

Once the master copy has been used to duplicate a sufficient amount of discs, and said discs have been coupled with relevant packaging materials, the product may then become Generally Available (GA).