elder Hear it!

elder¹ Definition

elder (el′dər)

adjective

  1. born or brought forth earlier than another or others; exceeding another in age; senior; older
  2. Obsolete of longer standing or superior rank, position, validity, etc.
  3. Now Rare earlier; former; ancient

Etymology: ME < OE (Mercian) eldra, ældra, compar. < base of ald, eald, old

noun

  1. an older person
  2. an aged person
  3. a forefather; ancestor; predecessor
  4. an older person with some authority or dignity in a tribe or community
    1. an officer in an early Christian church
    2. in some Protestant churches, a minister; also, a member appointed to the ruling body who may also assist at Communion
    3. ☆ Mormon Ch. a member of the Melchizedek priesthood

elder² Definition

el·der (el′dər)

noun

  1. any of a genus (Sambucus) of shrubs and small trees of the honeysuckle family, with compound leaves and flat-topped clusters of small white flowers followed by red or purple berries
  2. any of various unrelated plants, as the box elder or the marsh elder

Etymology: ME ellerne & (with intrusive -d- as in alder) eldore < OE ellern, ellen, akin to MLowG ellern, eldern < IE base *el- > elm, alder, L alnus, elder

elder Synonyms

elder

modif.

older, senior, ranking, more mature; see older, senior.

elder Synonyms

elder

n.

  1. Old person

    old man, old woman, old lady, senior citizen, veteran, old timer, senior, retiree, one of the old folks, one of the older generation, sexagenarian, septuagenarian, octogenarian, nonagenarian, centenarian, ancestor, golden ager*, older adult, Methuselah*, graybeard*, oldster*, old fogey*, little old lady*, granny*, gramps*; see also ancestor, oldster.

  2. A superior

    patriarch, matriarch, chief, tribal head, dignitary, senator, counselor, presbyter, church dignitary, elder statesman, dean, doyen, doyenne, father, mother.

elder Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • ordain: In the third phrase, the elders themselves ordained other elders ( 1 Timothy 4:14 ).
  • appoint: Always the ultimate responsibility for appointing elders was a part of the function of church leadership.

Converse of subject

initiate: Marriages, initiated by elders, were arranged with the help of an ' aunt ' or the ' priest ' .

Adjective modifier

  • Ephesian: Paul could have said to these Ephesian elders: " I, or some other senior leader, made you overseers.
  • tribal: The book is punctuated with pictures of him engaging in shooting competitions with the tribal elders, dressed in full headgear.
  • Asian: All of the areas in the study had made attempts to develop specific services, particularly for Asian elders.
  • ethnic: A good example is residential care for black and ethnic minority elders.
  • South: Clear service and care Pathways for South Asian elders and their informal elder carers living in the above three boroughs.

Modifies a noun

  • statesman: Perhaps a little upset, Daz urged our watching elder statesmen to pick up their pensions!
  • brother: Loch Ness Monster His elder brother, James Ewing, married a stone mason's daughter, Jemima Rough Phillip, in Dundee.
  • sister: He had an elder sister, Hannah who was born in 1838.
  • son: Their elder son has to work for better off people.
  • sibling: Occasionally, a child simply took on the registration of a dead elder sibling of the same sex.
  • daughter: Our elder daughter was switched from the state to the independent education sector.

Noun used with modifier

  • twenty-four: All of them refer to the twenty-four elders who appear to be unique representatives of the redeemed people of God from all ages.
  • clan: The system directly implicated clan elders, family friends and the child's peers in the community.
  • minority: A good example is residential care for black and ethnic minority elders.
  • village: Most of these are chosen by village elders, among whom the current headman has the most say.

Preposition: of

  • tribe: Elders of the tribe performing a ritual around a caldron with a yellow liquid which they ceremonially drink as they chant.
  • congregation: Are the decisions of pastors and elders of a particular congregation final?