elder

Elder, older, is the old comparative of old, while elder, the tree, is from Old English ellærn.^[1][2][3]

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɛldə/ (UK); /ˈɛldɚ/ (US)^[4]

elder¹ older

Etymology

It is inherited from Old English eldra (“older”) (Mercian, West Saxon ieldra), the comparative of eald, ald (see old),^[2][1][3] from Proto-Germanic *alþizan-, source also of Old High German altiro (German älter), Old Norse ellri and Gothic alþiza.^[3] It is the only English survival of the umlaut in comparison.^[1] The noun is from Old English eldra, an older person, parent, ancestor, chief.^[1][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Older: about 725, in Beowulf, in Barnhart;^[2] before 900 in the OED.^[5]

Semantic evolution

Elder was once the ordinary comparative of old,^[2] but has been replaced by older since the 16th century and is now kept for special uses.^[1][2] Old English eldran, elders, also meant parents and ancestors, as German Eltern still does,^[6][1] a sense English has lost.^[6] In biblical translation it rendered Greek presbyter and Latin seniores (Hebrew zəqēnīm, old men),^[1][2] and a person with authority in a community, originally through age, is from the late 14th century.^[1] Elder statesman (1921) first translated Japanese 元老 (genrō).^[1][5] Elderly is from 1611, and eldest is the superlative, from before 900.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 725 – older.^[2]
• 971 – an older person, parent (noun).^[2]
• late 14th century – a person of authority.^[1]
• 1611 – elderly.^[2]
• 1921 – elder statesman.^[5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Of greater age, especially of two related people: my elder brother.
2. Of higher rank; senior.

Noun

1. An older person.
2. An older, influential member of a family, tribe or community.
3. An officer of certain churches, often with teaching or pastoral duties.

Word family

• eldest
• elderly
• elder statesman
• eldership

elder² tree

Etymology

It is Middle English eller, eldre, inherited from Old English ellærn (“elder tree”), ellen,^[1][3][7] of unknown origin, perhaps related to alder, which may also be the source of the unetymological -d-.^[1][7] It is common Germanic, with Middle Low German ellern, elre and Old High German elira.^[1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The shrub or small tree Sambucus nigra: before 700 in the OED;^[5] the spelling elder is about 1400.^[1]

Semantic evolution

The name was extended to other species of Sambucus in 1578, in North America especially to the American elder.^[5] It was misused for alder from about 1535.^[5] Elderberry is a derivative.^[1]

Timeline

• before 700 – the elder tree.^[5]
• c. 1400 – the form elder.^[1]
• 1578 – other species.^[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. Any of various shrubs or small trees of the genus Sambucus, with clusters of small white flowers and dark or red berries.

Word family

• elderberry
• elderflower

Related words

• old
• older
• alder

Usage notes

Elder is also a dialect word for the udder of a cow or mare (1674), from Flemish.^[5][7] In card games such as piquet, the elder hand is the non-dealer.^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Trench, Richard Chenevix (1859), A Select Glossary of English Words Used Formerly in Senses Different from Their Present, London: John W. Parker
7. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins