olde fader

Middle English

Alternative forms

• old fader, elde fader, elde-fader, eelde fadir
• aldefader, alde feder, ealdefader, alde-vader (Early Middle English)
• eildfader, aldfadire (Northern)

Etymology

From Old English ealdefæder, variant of eald fæder; equivalent to old +‎ fader. In some forms, the first element is influenced by elde.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌɔːld(ə)ˈfadər/, /ˌɔːld(ə)ˈfaːdər/, /ˌeːld(ə)ˈfadər/, /ˌeːld(ə)ˈfaːdər/

Noun

olde fader (plural olde fadres)

1. grandfather
2. forefather, male ancestor
3. (rare) father-in-law

Synonyms

• (grandfather): aiel, grandfadre
• (forefather): forfader
• (father-in-law): fader in lawe

Descendants

• English: eldfather
• Scots: eldfader

References

• “ōld(e-fā̆der, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
• “ēlde-fā̆der, ēld-, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.