eld

Old.

Adjective

  1. Old.

Origin

From Middle English elde, from Old English ieldu, eldo, ieldo (“age, period of time; period; time of life, years; mature or old age, eld; an age of the world, era, epoch”), from Proto-West Germanic *aldī, from Proto-Germanic *alþį̄ (“eld, age”), from *aldaz (“grown up, mature, old”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eltós, from *h₂el- (“to raise, feed”). Cognate with Scots eild (“age”), North Frisian jelde (“age”), German Älte (“age”), Danish ælde (“eld, age”), Icelandic elli (“eld, age”). Related also to Gothic 𐌰𐌻𐌳𐍃 (alds, “generation, age”), Old English alan (“to grow up, nourish”). More at old.

Forms

elder eldest elth eild eeld ild yeeld

Synonyms

aged venerable

Related

eldfather eldmother eldren eldship world

Noun

  1. One's age, age in years, period of life.
    • The experience of many years gave old men peculiar qualification for various offices; and elders, or men of a ripe or advanced eld or age, were variously employed under the Mosaic law. - 1868, John Eadie, A Biblical...
    • Promptly appeared a paragon, aged twenty-five or thereabouts, and exhibiting all the steadiness and serenity of advanced eld. - 1913, Paulist Fathers, Catholic World:
  2. Old age, senility; an old person.
    • Dotard, (ſaide he) let be thy deepe aduiſe; Seemes that through many yeares thy wits thee faile, And that weake eld hath left thee nothing wiſe, Els neuer ſhould thy iudgement be ſo frayle, To meaſure manhood by the...
    • Taught he not thee—the man of eld, / Whose eyes within his eyes beheld / Heaven's numerous hierarchy span / The mystic gulf from God to man? - 1847, R[alph] W[aldo] Emerson, “Threnody”, in Poems, Boston, Mass.: James...
    • As some true chief of men, bowed down with stress Of life's disastrous eld, on blossoming youth May gaze, and murmur with self-pity and ruth […] - 1904, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, The Sun's Shame, verse 2, lines 1–3:

    Synonyms: elderliness age chair days codgerhood eld fogeydom geezerdom golden years old age oldhood senescence senectitude superannuation twilight years sunset years vetustity ager antique badge-cove cheeser coffin dodger crinkly elder elderly

  3. Time; an age, an indefinitely long period of time.

    Synonyms: aeon age ages blue moon coon's age crow's age dog's age donkey's years eld eon eternity forever forever and a day interim interlude interval lifetime long haul long run meantime minute month of Sundays spell while

  4. Former ages, antiquity, olden times.
    • Once adown the dewy way a youthful cavalier spurred with a maiden mounted behind him, swiftly passing out of sight, recalling to the imagination some romance of eld, when the damosel fled with her lover. - 1891, Mary...

    Synonyms: days of yore foreday foretide foretime old days past yestertide yestertime yesteryear yore

Forms

elth eild eeld ild yeeld

Verb

  1. To age, become or grow old.
  2. To delay; linger.
  3. To make old, age.

Forms

elds elding elded elth eild eeld ild yeeld

Synonyms

elden abide procrastinate mature