elder

pronunciation

How to pronounce elder in British English: UK [ˈeldə(r)] word uk audio image

How to pronounce elder in American English: US [ˈeldər] word us audio image

Noun:

a person who is older than you are
any of numerous shrubs or small trees of temperate and subtropical northern hemisphere having white flowers and berrylike fruit
any of various church officers
Adjective:

used of the older of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a father from his son
older brother or sister

Word Origin

elder: elder: Elder ‘older’ [OE] is not, of course, the same word as elder the tree-name [OE]. The former began life in prehistoric Germanic as *althizon, the comparative form of *althaz ‘old’. Gradually, the vowel i had an effect on the preceding vowel a, and by Old English times the word had become eldra – hence modern English elder. The regularized form older appeared in the 16th century. The derivative elderly dates from the 17th century. The tree-name comes from Old English ellærn, a word whose origin is not known for certain (although it may perhaps be related to English alder). The intrusive d began to appear in the 14th century.=> old

elder (adj.): "more old," Old English (Mercian) eldra, comparative of eald, ald (see old); only English survival of umlaut in comparison. Superseded by older since 16c. Elder statesman (1921) originally was a translation of Japanese genro (plural).

elder (n.2): type of berry tree, c. 1400, with excrescent -d- from earlier ellen, from Old English ellæn, ellærn "elderberry tree," origin unknown, perhaps related to alder, which at any rate might be the source of the -d-. Common Germanic, cognates: Old Saxon elora, Middle Low German elre, Old High German elira, German Eller, Erle. Related: Elderberry.

elder (n.1): "elderly person, senior citizen," c. 1200, from Old English eldra "older person, parent; ancestor; chief, prince" (used in biblical translation for Greek presbyter); see elder (adj.). Compare German Eltern, Danish forældre, Swedish föräldrar "parents." The Old English for "grandfather" was ealdfæder.

2. The strike killed the elder and four members of his family , including two of his children .

3. Make no mistake , this is the most eurosceptic conservative party ever , says a party elder .

4. Portugal and spain are " the euro zone 's problem " , says that party elder .

5. Among the creeping buttercup , cleavers , bindweed and ground elder emerged long-necked and peony poppies , blackberry , columbine , and a wild grass tuft of particular appeal to our cat .