elder

English

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• (Australia) IPA: /ˈeldə/, X-SAMPA: /"eld@/
• (RP) IPA: /ˈɛldə/, X-SAMPA: /"Eld@/
• (GenAm) IPA: /ˈɛldɚ/, X-SAMPA: /"Eld@`/
• Rhymes: -ɛldə(r)

Etymology 1

From Old English eldra, from Proto-Germanic *alþizô. The vowel change from a to e triggered by the following i is called umlaut.

Adjective

elder (not comparable)

1. Comparative of old; greater than another in age or seniority.
   • The elder of the two was also an elder statesman
   • 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 5, Lord Stranleigh Abroad^[1]:

     She removed Stranleigh’s coat with a dexterity that aroused his imagination. The elder woman returned with dressings and a sponge, which she placed on a chair.

Usage notes

The normal comparative of old is older. The irregular form elder is sometimes used with family members, but otherwise rare (except in fixed expressions such as elder statesman). Elder is generally limited to attributive position (my elder brother) and does not occur in predicative position (*my brother is elder).

Translations

greater than another in age or seniority

• Armenian: մեծ (hy) (meç)
• Belarusian: старшы (be) (stáršy)
• Bulgarian: по-възрастен (bg) (po-vǎzrasten)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 年長的 (cmn), 年长的 (cmn) (niánzhǎng-de)

• Czech: starší (cs)
• Dutch: ouderling (nl)
• Esperanto: pli maljuna
• French: aîné (fr)
• German: älter (de)
• Japanese: 年上の (ja) (としうえの, toshiue-no), 年長の (ja) (ねんちょうの, nenchō-no)

• Old English: ealdor (ang)
• Old Saxon: aldāri
• Persian: بزرگتر (fa) (bozorgtar), مهتر (fa) (mehtar)
• Polish: starszy (pl)
• Russian: старший (ru) (stáršij)
• Slovak: starší (sk)
• Slovene: starejši (sl)
• Spanish: anciano (es), adulto mayor
• Ukrainian: старший (uk) (stáršyj)
• Vietnamese: cả (vi)

Noun

elder (plural elders)

1. An older person or an older member, usually a leader, of some community.

   We were presented to the village elder.

2. One who is older than another.

   Respect your elders.

3. An officer of a church, sometimes having teaching responsibilities
4. (US, Mormonism) The lowest office in the Melchizedek priesthood.

   After being a member of the Church for a while, Bill was ordained to the office of elder.

5. (US, Mormonism) One ordained to the office of elder.

   Jack had been an elder for only a few days when he received a new calling.

6. (US, Mormonism) Male missionary, title for a male missionary; title for a general authority.

   The elders are coming over for dinner tonight.

   One of the long-time leaders in the Church is Elder Packer.

7. (paganism and Heathenry) A pagan or Heathen priest or priestess.

Derived terms

• elderdom
• elderhood
• elderly
• eldership
• elder statesman
• elder stateswoman

Translations

older member or leader of a community

• Chinese:

  Dungan: лохан (lohan) m

  Mandarin: 老漢 (cmn), 老汉 (cmn) (lǎohàn), 耆英 (cmn) (qíyīng)

• Czech: stařešina (cs)
• Icelandic: öldungur (is) m
• Irish: sinsear (ga) m, foirfeach (ga) m
• Japanese: としより (ja) (toshiyori)
• Korean: 어른 (ko) (eoreun)
• Luhya: omulosi

• Meru: mukoru
• Portuguese: ancião (pt) m, anciã (pt) f
• Russian: старейшина (ru) (staréjšina) m, староста (ru) (stárosta) m
• Scottish Gaelic: èildear (gd) m, foirfeach (gd) m
• Serbo-Croatian: starješina (sh) m
• Slovene: starešina (sl) m, starosta (sl) m
• Swahili: wazee (sw), mzee (sw)
• Tajik: please add this translation if you can
• Thai: ผู้อาวุโส (phoo-a-wu-so), ผู้สูงอายุ (phoo-soong-a-yoo)

An officer of a church

• Dutch: ouderling (nl) m

Melchizedek priesthood office, missionary, title

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 長老 (cmn), 长老 (cmn) (zhǎnglǎo)

• Japanese: 長老 (ja) (ちょうろう, chōrō)

• Russian: старейшина (ru) (staréjšina) m
• Swahili: wazee (sw)

Etymology 2

Wikipedia

Wikispecies From Middle English eldre, eller, from Old English ellærn, from Proto-Germanic *el(d)ernaz (confer Low German Elhorn, Elloorn), adjectival from Proto-Indo-European *h₁edʰ-l-i 'spruce, fir' (compare Middle Irish aidlen 'silver fir', Latin ebulus (“dwarf elder”), Old Prussian addle 'fir', Czech jedle 'silver fir', Ancient Greek ἐλάτη (elate, “silver fir”)

Noun

elder (plural elders)

1. A small tree of the genus Sambucus having white flowers in a cluster, and purple berries.

Derived terms

• elderberry

Translations

small tree

• Albanian: shtog (sq) m
• Arabic: الخَمَان (ar) (al-khamān)
• Bulgarian: бъз (bg) (bǎz)
• Catalan: saüc (ca) m
• Czech: bez (cs) m
• Danish: hyld (da) c
• Dutch: vlier (nl)
• Finnish: selja (fi), saksanheisi (fi)
• French: sureau (fr) m
• German: Holunder (de) m
• Hungarian: bodza (hu)
• Icelandic: yllir (is) m
• Ido: sambuko (io)
• Italian: sambuco (it) m

• Japanese: 接骨木 (ja) (ニワトコ, にわとこ, niwatoko)
• Latin: sambūcus (la) m
• Norwegian: hyll (no) m
• Polish: bez (pl) m
• Romanian: soc (ro) m
• Russian: бузина (ru) (buziná) f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ба̀зга (sh) f, зова (sh) f

  Roman: bàzga (sh) f, zova (sh) f

• Slovene: bezeg (sl) m
• Spanish: saúco (es) m
• Swahili: wazee (sw)
• Swedish: fläder (sv) c
• Turkish: mürver (tr)

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Basque

Noun

elder

1. slime