[el-der] 
| 1. | of greater age; older. |
| 2. | of higher rank; senior: an elder officer. |
| 3. | of or pertaining to former times; earlier: Much that was forbidden by elder custom is accepted today. |
| 4. | a person who is older or higher in rank than oneself. |
| 5. | an aged person. |
| 6. | an influential member of a tribe or community, often a chief or ruler; a superior. |
| 7. | a presbyter. |
| 8. | (in certain Protestant churches) a lay member who is a governing officer, often assisting the pastor in services. |
| 9. | Mormon Church. a member of the Melchizedek priesthood. |
[el-der] | any tree or shrub belonging to the genus Sambucus, of the honeysuckle family, having pinnate leaves, clusters of white flowers, and red or black, berrylike fruit. |
[ohld] adjective, old⋅er, old⋅est or eld⋅er, eld⋅est, noun | 1. | far advanced in the years of one's or its life: an old man; an old horse; an old tree. |
| 2. | of or pertaining to the latter part of the life or term of existence of a person or thing: old age. |
| 3. | as if or appearing to be far advanced in years: Worry had made him old. |
| 4. | having lived or existed for a specified time: a man 30 years old; a century-old organization. |
| 5. | having lived or existed as specified with relation to younger or newer persons or things: Jim is our oldest boy. |
| 6. | having been aged for a specified time: This whiskey is eight years old. |
| 7. | having been aged for a comparatively long time: old brandy. |
| 8. | long known or in use: the same old excuse. |
| 9. | overfamiliar to the point of tedium: Some jokes get old fast. |
| 10. | belonging to the past: the good old days. |
| 11. | having been in existence since the distant past: a fine old family. |
| 12. | no longer in general use: This typewriter is an old model. |
| 13. | acquired, made, or in use by one prior to the acquisition, making, or use of something more recent: When the new house was built, we sold the old one. |
| 14. | of, pertaining to, or originating at an earlier period or date: old maps. |
| 15. | prehistoric; ancient: There may have been an old land bridge between Asia and Alaska. |
| 16. | (initial capital letter) (of a language) in its oldest known period, as attested by the earliest written records: Old Czech. |
| 17. | experienced: He's an old hand at welding. |
| 18. | of long standing; having been such for a comparatively long time: an old and trusted employee. |
| 19. | (of colors) dull, faded, or subdued: old rose. |
| 20. | deteriorated through age or long use; worn, decayed, or dilapidated: old clothes. |
| 21. | Physical Geography. (of landforms) far advanced in reduction by erosion or the like. |
| 22. | sedate, sensible, mature, or wise: That child seems old beyond his years. |
| 23. | (used to indicate affection, familiarity, disparagement, or a personalization): good old Bob; that dirty old jalopy. |
| 24. | Informal. (used as an intensive) great; uncommon: a high old time. |
| 25. | former; having been so formerly: a dinner for his old students. |
| 26. | (used with a plural verb) old persons collectively (usually prec. by the): appropriations to care for the old. |
| 27. | a person or animal of a specified age or age group (used in combination): a class for six-year-olds; a horse race for three-year-olds. |
| 28. | old or former time, often time long past: days of old. |
| eld·er 1 (ěl'dər) adj.
[Middle English eldre, from Old English eldra; see al-2 in Indo-European roots.] el'der·ship' n. Usage Note: The adjective elder is not a synonym for elderly. In comparisons between two persons, elder means "older" but not necessarily "old": My elder sister is sixteen; my younger, twelve. (Eldest is used when three or more persons are compared: He is the eldest of four brothers.) In other contexts elder does denote relatively advanced age but with the added component of respect for a person's achievement, as in an elder statesman. If age alone is to be expressed, one should use older or elderly rather than elder: A survey of older Americans; an elderly waiter. · Unlike elder and its related forms, the adjectives old, older, and oldest are applied to things as well as to persons. |
| el·der 2 (ěl'dər) n. Any of various shrubs or small trees of the genus Sambucus, having clusters of small white flowers and red or purplish-black berrylike fruit. [Middle English eldre, from Old English ellærn.] |
Elder
a name frequently used in the Old Testament as denoting a person clothed with authority, and entitled to respect and reverence (Gen. 50:7). It also denoted a political office (Num. 22:7). The "elders of Israel" held a rank among the people indicative of authority. Moses opened his commission to them (Ex. 3:16). They attended Moses on all important occasions. Seventy of them attended on him at the giving of the law (Ex. 24:1). Seventy also were selected from the whole number to bear with Moses the burden of the people (Num. 11:16, 17). The "elder" is the keystone of the social and political fabric wherever the patriarchal system exists. At the present day this is the case among the Arabs, where the sheik (i.e., "the old man") is the highest authority in the tribe. The body of the "elders" of Israel were the representatives of the people from the very first, and were recognized as such by Moses. All down through the history of the Jews we find mention made of the elders as exercising authority among the people. They appear as governors (Deut. 31:28), as local magistrates (16:18), administering justice (19:12). They were men of extensive influence (1 Sam. 30:26-31). In New Testament times they also appear taking an active part in public affairs (Matt. 16:21; 21:23; 26:59). The Jewish eldership was transferred from the old dispensation to the new. "The creation of the office of elder is nowhere recorded in the New Testament, as in the case of deacons and apostles, because the latter offices were created to meet new and special emergencies, while the former was transmitted from the earlies times. In other words, the office of elder was the only permanent essential office of the church under either dispensation." The "elders" of the New Testament church were the "pastors" (Eph. 4:11), "bishops or overseers" (Acts 20:28), "leaders" and "rulers" (Heb. 13:7; 1 Thess. 5:12) of the flock. Everywhere in the New Testament bishop and presbyter are titles given to one and the same officer of the Christian church. He who is called presbyter or elder on account of his age or gravity is also called bishop or overseer with reference to the duty that lay upon him (Titus 1:5-7; Acts 20:17-28; Phil. 1:1).
