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Elder was once the ordinary comparative of old,[2] but has been replaced by older since the 16th century and is now kept for special uses.[1][2] Old English eldran, elders, also meant parents and ancestors, as German Eltern still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
- Of greater age, especially of two related people: my elder brother.
- Of higher rank; senior.
Noun
- An older person.
- An older, influential member of a family, tribe or community.
- 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
Modern meaning
Noun
- 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
- ^ 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
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
- ^ a b c d e Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ 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
- ^ a b Trench, Richard Chenevix (1859), A Select Glossary of English Words Used Formerly in Senses Different from Their Present, London: John W. Parker
- ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins