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.
–noun
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.
[Origin: bef. 900; ME; OE eald, ald; c. D old, G alt, Goth altheis; akin to ON ala to nourish]
—Related forms
oldness, noun
—Synonyms 1.Old,aged,elderly all mean well along in years. An old person has lived long, nearly to the end of the usual period of life. An aged person is very far advanced in years, and is usually afflicted with the infirmities of age. An elderly person is somewhat old, but usually has the mellowness, satisfactions, and joys of age ahead. 9. olden, early.
Having lived or existed for a relatively long time; far advanced in years or life.
Relatively advanced in age: Pamela is our oldest child.
Belonging to a remote or former period in history; ancient: old fossils.
Belonging to or being of an earlier time: her old classmates.
Having become slower in flow and less vigorous in action. Used of a river.
Having become simpler in form and of lower relief. Used of a landform.
Used as an intensive: Come back any old time. Don't give me any ol' excuse.
Used to express affection or familiarity: Good ol' Sam.
Made long ago; in existence for many years: an old book.
Of or relating to a long life or to people who have had long lives: a ripe old age.
Having or exhibiting the physical characteristics of age: a prematurely old face.
Having or exhibiting the wisdom of age; mature: a child who is old for his years.
Having lived or existed for a specified length of time: She was 12 years old.
Belonging to a remote or former period in history; ancient: old fossils.
Belonging to or being of an earlier time: her old classmates.
Having become slower in flow and less vigorous in action. Used of a river.
Having become simpler in form and of lower relief. Used of a landform.
Used as an intensive: Come back any old time. Don't give me any ol' excuse.
Used to express affection or familiarity: Good ol' Sam.
often Old Being the earlier or earliest of two or more related objects, stages, versions, or periods.
Geology
Having become slower in flow and less vigorous in action. Used of a river.
Having become simpler in form and of lower relief. Used of a landform.
Used as an intensive: Come back any old time. Don't give me any ol' excuse.
Used to express affection or familiarity: Good ol' Sam.
Exhibiting the effects of time or long use; worn: an old coat.
Known through long acquaintance; long familiar: an old friend.
Skilled or able through long experience; practiced.
often ol' (ōl)
Used as an intensive: Come back any old time. Don't give me any ol' excuse.
Used to express affection or familiarity: Good ol' Sam.
n.
An individual of a specified age: a five-year-old.
Old people considered as a group. Used with the:caring for the old.
Former times; yore: in days of old.
[Middle English, from Old English eald; see al-2 in Indo-European roots.]
old'ness n.
Synonyms: These adjectives describe what belongs to or dates from an earlier time or period. Old is the most general term: old lace; an old saying. Ancient pertains to the distant past: "the hills,/Rock-ribbed, and ancient as the sun" (William Cullen Bryant).
Archaic implies a very remote, often primitive period: an archaic Greek bronze of the seventh century B.C. Antediluvian applies to what is extremely outdated: "a branch of one of your antediluvian families" (William Congreve).
Antique is applied to what is especially appreciated or valued because of its age: antique furniture; an antique vase. Antiquated describes what is out of date, no longer fashionable, or discredited: "No idea is so antiquated that it was not once modern. No idea is so modern that it will not someday be antiquated" (Ellen Glasgow).
Usage Note: Old is the bluntest of the adjectives most commonly used in referring to advanced or advancing age. It generally suggests at least a degree of age-related infirmity, and for that reason it is often avoided in formal or polite speech. Many prefer elderly as a more neutral and respectful term, but it too can suggest frailty, especially in reference to individuals as opposed to a group or population. And while senior enjoys wide usage as both a noun and adjective in many civic or social contexts, it is often considered unpleasantly euphemistic in a phrase such as the senior couple living next door. · As a comparative form, older would logically seem to indicate greater age than old. Except when a direct comparison is being made, however, the opposite is generally true. The older man in the tweed jacket suggests a somewhat younger or more vigorous man than if one substitutes old or elderly. Where old expresses an absolute, an arrival at old age, older takes a more relative view of aging as a continuum—older, but not yet old. As such, older is more than just a euphemism for the blunter old, offering as it does a more precise term for someone between middle and advanced age. And unlike elderly, older does not particularly suggest frailness or infirmity, making it the natural choice in many situations. See Usage Note at elder1.
O.E. ald (Anglian), eald (W.Saxon), from W.Gmc. *althas "grown up, adult" (cf. O.Fris. ald, Goth. alþeis, Du. oud, Ger. alt), originally a pp. stem of a verb meaning "grow, nourish" (cf. Goth. alan "to grow up," O.N. ala "to nourish"), from PIE base *al- "to grow, nourish" (cf. Gk. aldaino "make grow, strengthen," althein, althainein "to get well;" L. alere "to feed, nourish, bring up, increase," altus "high," lit. “grown tall,” almus "nurturing, nourishing," alumnus "fosterling, step-child;" O.Ir. alim "I nourish"). The usual PIE root is *sen- (cf. senior). A few IE languages distinguish words for "old" (vs. young) from words for "old" (vs. new), and some have separate words for aged persons as opposed to old things. L. senex was used of aged living things, mostly persons, while vetus (lit. "having many years") was used of inanimate things. Gk. geraios was used mostly of humans; Gk. palaios was used mostly of things, of persons only in a derogatory sense. Gk. also had arkhaios, lit. "belonging to the beginning," which parallels Fr. ancien, used mostly with ref. to things "of former times." O.E. also had fyrn "ancient," related to O.E. feor "far, distant" (see far, and cf. Goth. fairneis, O.N. forn "old, of old, of former times," O.H.G. firni "old, experienced"). The original O.E. vowel is preserved in Scots auld. The original comp. and superl. retained in particular uses elder, eldest, also alderman). Pseudo-archaic mock-antique variant olde is attested from 1927. Oldie "an old tune or film" is from 1940. First record of old-timer is from 1860. Expression old as the hills first recorded 1819. The good old days dates from 1828. Of old "of old times" is from c.1386. Old Glory for "the American flag" is first attested 1862. Old maid "woman who remains single well beyond the usual marrying age" is from 1530; the card game is attested by that name from 1844. Old man "husband, father, boss" is from 1854, earlier (1830) military slang for "commanding officer;" old lady "wife, mother" is attested from c.1775. Old English is attested from 1849 as a type of black-letter font.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age; "his mother is very old"; "a ripe old age"; "how old are you?" [ant: immature]
2.
of long duration; not new; "old tradition"; "old house"; "old wine"; "old country"; "old friendships"; "old money" [ant: new]
3.
(used for emphasis) very familiar; "good old boy"; "same old story"
4.
skilled through long experience; "an old offender"; "the older soldiers"
5.
belonging to some prior time; "erstwhile friend"; "our former glory"; "the once capital of the state"; "her quondam lover" [syn: erstwhile]
6.
(used informally especially for emphasis); "a real honest-to-god live cowboy"; "had us a high old time"; "went upriver to look at a sure-enough fish wheel" [syn: honest-to-god]
7.
of a very early stage in development; "Old English is also called Anglo Saxon"; "Old High German is High German from the middle of the 9th to the end of the 11th century"
8.
just preceding something else in time or order; "the previous owner"; "my old house was larger" [syn: previous]
noun
1.
past times (especially in the phrase 'in days of old')
Old Appleton, MO (town, FIPS 54200) Location: 37.59320 N, 89.70939 W Population (1990): 82 (28 housing units) Area: 0.3 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 63770
Old Hickory, TN Zip code(s): 37138
Old Landing, KY Zip code(s): 41358
Old Lyme, CT Zip code(s): 06371
Old Monroe, MO (city, FIPS 54416) Location: 38.93128 N, 90.74702 W Population (1990): 242 (109 housing units) Area: 0.4 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 63369
Old Saybrook, CT Zip code(s): 06475
Old Station, CA Zip code(s): 96071
Old Tappan, NJ (borough, FIPS 54870) Location: 41.01620 N, 73.98303 W Population (1990): 4254 (1355 housing units) Area: 8.4 sq km (land), 2.2 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 07675
Old Town, FL Zip code(s): 32680
Old Town, ID Zip code(s): 83822
Old Town, ME (city, FIPS 55225) Location: 44.95344 N, 68.73659 W Population (1990): 8317 (3547 housing units) Area: 99.2 sq km (land), 11.3 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 04468
Old Greenwich, CT Zip code(s): 06870
Old Glory, TX Zip code(s): 79540
Old Fort, NC (town, FIPS 48920) Location: 35.63210 N, 82.17584 W Population (1990): 720 (352 housing units) Area: 2.4 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 28762
Old Bethpage, NY (CDP, FIPS 54551) Location: 40.75427 N, 73.45550 W Population (1990): 5610 (1862 housing units) Area: 10.6 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 11804
Old Bridge, NJ (CDP, FIPS 54690) Location: 40.39295 N, 74.33003 W Population (1990): 22151 (7145 housing units) Area: 18.9 sq km (land), 0.3 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 08857
Old Chatham, NY Zip code(s): 12136
Old Westbury, NY (village, FIPS 54705) Location: 40.78625 N, 73.59623 W Population (1990): 3897 (1004 housing units) Area: 22.1 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 11568
Old Fields, WV Zip code(s): 26845
Old Forge, PA (borough, FIPS 56576) Location: 41.36895 N, 75.74235 W Population (1990): 8834 (3798 housing units) Area: 8.9 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 18518
Old Forge, NY Zip code(s): 13420
Old Ripley, IL (village, FIPS 55717) Location: 38.89235 N, 89.57295 W Population (1990): 95 (42 housing units) Area: 0.4 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Old Washington, OH (village, FIPS 58226) Location: 40.03740 N, 81.44440 W Population (1990): 281 (114 housing units) Area: 1.7 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Old Bennington, VT (village, FIPS 53125) Location: 42.88333 N, 73.21376 W Population (1990): 279 (129 housing units) Area: 1.2 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Old Harbor, AK (city, FIPS 57340) Location: 57.24503 N, 153.37359 W Population (1990): 284 (112 housing units) Area: 52.9 sq km (land), 15.6 sq km (water)
Old Brookville, NY (village, FIPS 54562) Location: 40.82752 N, 73.60491 W Population (1990): 1823 (627 housing units) Area: 10.3 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Old Shawneetown, IL (village, FIPS 55756) Location: 37.69693 N, 88.13784 W Population (1990): 356 (158 housing units) Area: 1.4 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Old Jefferson, LA (CDP, FIPS 57705) Location: 30.37910 N, 91.00339 W Population (1990): 4531 (1599 housing units) Area: 9.1 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Old Orchard, PA (CDP, FIPS 56624) Location: 40.65779 N, 75.26260 W Population (1990): 2598 (935 housing units) Area: 1.7 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Old Field, NY (village, FIPS 54617) Location: 40.96227 N, 73.13077 W Population (1990): 765 (325 housing units) Area: 5.3 sq km (land), 0.3 sq km (water)
Old Orchard Beac, ME Zip code(s): 04064
Old Saybrook Center, CT (CDP, FIPS 57390) Location: 41.29136 N, 72.36876 W Population (1990): 1820 (940 housing units) Area: 5.1 sq km (land), 2.4 sq km (water)
Old Brownsboro Place, KY (city, FIPS 57658) Location: 38.28945 N, 85.61369 W Population (1990): 348 (123 housing units) Area: 0.3 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Old Orchard Beach, ME (CDP, FIPS 55120) Location: 43.52428 N, 70.38422 W Population (1990): 7789 (5668 housing units) Area: 19.3 sq km (land), 1.1 sq km (water)
Old Mill Creek, IL (village, FIPS 55639) Location: 42.43310 N, 87.98211 W Population (1990): 73 (31 housing units) Area: 15.3 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Old River-Winfree, TX (town, FIPS 53824) Location: 29.87826 N, 94.82428 W Population (1990): 1233 (370 housing units) Area: 3.3 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
A*dult"\, a. [L. adultus, p. p. of adolescere, akin to alere to nourish: cf. F. adulte. See Adolescent, Old.] Having arrived at maturity, or to full size and strength; matured; as, an adult person or plant; an adult ape; an adult age.
Al"i*ment\, n. [L. alimentum, fr. alere to nourish; akin to Goth. alan to grow, Icel. ala to nourish: cf. F. aliment. See Old.]1. That which nourishes; food; nutriment; anything which feeds or adds to a substance in natural growth. Hence: The necessaries of life generally: sustenance; means of support. Aliments of their sloth and weakness. --Bacon. 2. An allowance for maintenance. [Scot.]
An"cient\, a. [OE. auncien, F. ancien, LL. antianus, fr. L. ante before. See Ante-, pref.]1. Old; that happened or existed in former times, usually at a great distance of time; belonging to times long past; specifically applied to the times before the fall of the Roman empire; -- opposed to modern; as, ancient authors, literature, history; ancient days. Witness those ancient empires of the earth. --Milton. Gildas Albanius . . . much ancienter than his namesake surnamed the Wise. --Fuller. 2. Old; that has been of long duration; of long standing; of great age; as, an ancient forest; an ancient castle. "Our ancient bickerings." --Shak. Remove not the ancient landmarks, which thy fathers have set. --Prov. xxii. 28. An ancient man, strangely habited, asked for quarters. --Scott. 3. Known for a long time, or from early times; -- opposed to recent or new; as, the ancient continent. A friend, perhaps, or an ancient acquaintance. --Barrow. 4. Dignified, like an aged man; magisterial; venerable. [Archaic] He wrought but some few hours of the day, and then would he seem very grave and ancient. --Holland. 5. Experienced; versed. [Obs.] Though [he] was the youngest brother, yet he was the most ancient in the business of the realm. --Berners. 6. Former; sometime. [Obs.] They mourned their ancient leader lost. --Pope. Ancient demesne (Eng. Law), a tenure by which all manors belonging to the crown, in the reign of William the Conqueror, were held. The numbers, names, etc., of these were all entered in a book called Domesday Book. Ancient lights (Law), windows and other openings which have been enjoined without molestation for more than twenty years. In England, and in some of the United States, they acquire a prescriptive right. Syn: Old; primitive; pristine; antique; antiquated; old-fashioned; obsolete. Usage: Ancient, Antiquated, Obsolete, Antique, Antic, Old. -- Ancient is opposed to modern, and has antiquity; as, an ancient family, ancient landmarks, ancient institutions, systems of thought, etc. Antiquated describes that which has gone out of use or fashion; as, antiquated furniture, antiquated laws, rules, etc. Obsolete is commonly used, instead of antiquated, in reference to language, customs, etc.; as, an obsolete word or phrase, an obsolete expression. Antique is applied, in present usage, either to that which has come down from the ancients; as, an antique cameo, bust, etc.; or to that which is made to imitate some ancient work of art; as, an antique temple. In the days of Shakespeare, antique was often used for ancient; as, "an antique song," "an antique Roman;" and hence, from singularity often attached to what is ancient, it was used in the sense of grotesque; as, "an oak whose antique root peeps out; " and hence came our present word antic, denoting grotesque or ridiculous. We usually apply both ancient and old to things subject to gradual decay. We say, an old man, an ancient record; but never, the old stars, an old river or mountain. In general, however, ancient is opposed to modern, and old to new, fresh, or recent. When we speak of a thing that existed formerly, which has ceased to exist, we commonly use ancient; as, ancient republics, ancient heroes; and not old republics, old heroes. But when the thing which began or existed in former times is still in existence, we use either ancient or old; as, ancient statues or paintings, or old statues or paintings; ancient authors, or old authors, meaning books.
Eld\, n. [AS. yldu, yldo, eldo, old age, fr. ald, eald, old. See Old.]1. Age; esp., old age. [Obs. or Archaic] As sooth is said, eelde hath great avantage. --Chaucer. Great Nature, ever young, yet full of eld. --Spenser. 2. Old times; former days; antiquity. [Poetic] Astrologers and men of eld. --Longfellow.
Eld"er\, a. [AS. yldra, compar. of eald old. See Old.]1. Older; more aged, or existing longer. Let the elder men among us emulate their own earlier deeds. --Jowett (Thucyd. ) 2. Born before another; prior in years; senior; earlier; older; as, his elder brother died in infancy; -- opposed to younger, and now commonly applied to a son, daughter, child, brother, etc. The elder shall serve the younger. --Gen. xxv. 23. But ask of elder days, earth's vernal hour. --Keble. Elder hand (Card Playing), the hand playing, or having the right to play, first. --Hoyle.
Eld"er\, n. [AS. ealdor an elder, prince, fr. eald old. See Old, and cf. Elder, a., Alderman.]1. One who is older; a superior in age; a senior. --1 Tim. v. 1. 2. An aged person; one who lived at an earlier period; a predecessor. Carry your head as your elders have done. --L'Estrange. 3. A person who, on account of his age, occupies the office of ruler or judge; hence, a person occupying any office appropriate to such as have the experience and dignity which age confers; as, the elders of Israel; the elders of the synagogue; the elders in the apostolic church. Note: In the modern Presbyterian churches, elders are lay officers who, with the minister, compose the church session, with authority to inspect and regulate matters of religion and discipline. In some churches, pastors or clergymen are called elders, or presbyters. 4. (M. E. Ch.) A clergyman authorized to administer all the sacraments; as, a traveling elder. Presiding elder (Meth. Ch.), an elder commissioned by a bishop to have the oversight of the churches and preachers in a certain district. Ruling elder, a lay presbyter or member of a Presbyterian church session. --Schaff.
Elm\, n. [AS. elm; akin to D. olm, OHG. elm, G. ulme, Icel. almr, Dan. & Sw. alm, L. ulmus, and E. alder. Cf. Old.] (Bot.) A tree of the genus Ulmus, of several species, much used as a shade tree, particularly in America. The English elm is Ulmus campestris; the common American or white elm is U. Americana; the slippery or red elm, U. fulva. Elm beetle (Zo["o]l.), one of several species of beetles (esp. Galeruca calmariensis), which feed on the leaves of the elm. Elm borer (Zo["o]l.), one of several species of beetles of which the larv[ae] bore into the wood or under the bark of the elm (esp. Saperda tridentata). Elm butterfly (Zo["o]l.), one of several species of butterflies, which, in the caterpillar state, feed on the leaves of the elm (esp. Vanessa antiopa and Grapta comma). See Comma butterfly, under Comma. Elm moth (Zo["o]l.), one of numerous species of moths of which the larv[ae] destroy the leaves of the elm (esp. Eugonia subsignaria, called elm spanworm). Elm sawfly (Zo["o]l.), a large sawfly (Cimbex Americana). The larva, which is white with a black dorsal stripe, feeds on the leaves of the elm.
Maid\, n. [Shortened from maiden. ?. See Maiden.]1. An unmarried woman; usually, a young unmarried woman; esp., a girl; a virgin; a maiden. Would I had died a maid, And never seen thee, never borne thee son. --Shak. Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me. --Jer. ii. 32. 2. A man who has not had sexual intercourse. [Obs.] Christ was a maid and shapen as a man. --Chaucer. 3. A female servant. Spinning amongst her maids. --Shak. Note: Maid is used either adjectively or in composition, signifying female, as in maid child, maidservant. 4. (Zo["o]l.) The female of a ray or skate, esp. of the gray skate (Raia batis), and of the thornback (R. clavata). [Prov. Eng.] Fair maid. (Zo["o]l.) See under Fair, a. Maid of honor, a female attendant of a queen or royal princess; -- usually of noble family, and having to perform only nominal or honorary duties. Old maid. See under Old.
New\, a. [Compar. Newer; superl. Newest.] [OE. OE. newe, AS. niwe, neowe; akin to D. nieuw, OS. niwi, OHG. niuwi, G. neu, Icel. n?r, Dan. & Sw. ny, Goth. niujis, Lith. naujas, Russ. novuii, Ir. nua, nuadh, Gael. nuadh, W. newydd, Armor. nevez, L. novus, gr. ?, Skr. nava, and prob. to E. now. [root]263. See Now, and cf. Announce, Innovate, Neophyte, Novel.]1. Having existed, or having been made, but a short time; having originated or occured lately; having recently come into existence, or into one's possession; not early or long in being; of late origin; recent; fresh; modern; -- opposed to old, as, a new coat; a new house; a new book; a new fashion. "Your new wife." --Chaucer. 2. Not before seen or known, although existing before; lately manifested; recently discovered; as, a new metal; a new planet; new scenes. 3. Newly beginning or recurring; starting anew; now commencing; different from has been; as, a new year; a new course or direction. 4. As if lately begun or made; having the state or quality of original freshness; also, changed for the better; renovated; unworn; untried; unspent; as, rest and travel made him a new man. Steadfasty purposing to lead a new life. --Bk. of Com. Prayer. Men after long emaciating diets, fat, and almost new. --Bacon. 5. Not of ancient extraction, or of a family of ancient descent; not previously kniwn or famous. --Addison. 6. Not habituated; not familiar; unaccustomed. New to the plow, unpracticed in the trace. --Pope. 7. Fresh from anything; newly come. New from her sickness to that northern air. --Dryden. New birth. See under Birth. New Church, or New Jerusalem Church, the church holding the doctrines taught by Emanuel Swedenborg. See Swedenborgian. New heart (Theol.), a heart or character changed by the power of God, so as to be governed by new and holy motives. New land, land ckeared and cultivated for the first time. New light. (Zo["o]l.) See Crappie. New moon. (a) The moon in its first quarter, or when it first appears after being invisible. (b) The day when the new moon is first seen; the first day of the lunar month, which was a holy day among the Jews. --2 Kings iv. 23. New Red Sandstone (Geol.), an old name for the formation immediately above the coal measures or strata, now divided into the Permian and Trias. See Sandstone. New style. See Style. New testament. See under Testament. New world, the land of the Western Hemisphere; -- so called because not known to the inhabitants of the Eastern Hemisphere until recent times. Syn: Novel; recent; fresh; modern. See Novel.
Old\, a. [Compar. Older; superl. Oldest.] [OE. old, ald, AS. ald, eald; akin to D. oud, OS. ald, OFries. ald, old, G. alt, Goth. alpeis, and also to Goth. alan to grow up, Icel. ala to bear, produce, bring up, L. alere to nourish. Cf. Adult, Alderman, Aliment, Auld, Elder.]1. Not young; advanced far in years or life; having lived till toward the end of the ordinary term of living; as, an old man; an old age; an old horse; an old tree. Let not old age disgrace my high desire. --Sir P. Sidney. The melancholy news that we grow old. --Young. 2. Not new or fresh; not recently made or produced; having existed for a long time; as, old wine; an old friendship. "An old acquaintance." --Camden. 3. Formerly existing; ancient; not modern; preceding; original; as, an old law; an old custom; an old promise. "The old schools of Greece." --Milton. "The character of the old Ligurians." --Addison. 4. Continued in life; advanced in the course of existence; having (a certain) length of existence; -- designating the age of a person or thing; as, an infant a few hours old; a cathedral centuries old. And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou? --Cen. xlvii. 8. Note: In this use old regularly follows the noun that designates the age; as, she was eight years old. 5. Long practiced; hence, skilled; experienced; cunning; as, an old offender; old in vice. Vane, young in years, but in sage counsel old. --Milton. 6. Long cultivated; as, an old farm; old land, as opposed to new land, that is, to land lately cleared. 7. Worn out; weakened or exhausted by use; past usefulness; as, old shoes; old clothes. 8. More than enough; abundant. [Obs.] If a man were porter of hell gate, he should have old turning the key. --Shak. 9. Aged; antiquated; hence, wanting in the mental vigor or other qualities belonging to youth; -- used disparagingly as a term of reproach. 10. Old-fashioned; wonted; customary; as of old; as, the good old times; hence, colloquially, gay; jolly. 11. Used colloquially as a term of cordiality and familiarity. "Go thy ways, old lad." --Shak. Old age, advanced years; the latter period of life. Old bachelor. See Bachelor, 1. Old Catholics. See under Catholic. Old English. See under English. n., 2. Old Nick, Old Scratch, the devil. Old lady (Zo["o]l.), a large European noctuid moth (Mormo maura). Old maid. (a) A woman, somewhat advanced in years, who has never been married; a spinster. (b) (Bot.) A West Indian name for the pink-flowered periwinkle (Vinca rosea). (c) A simple game of cards, played by matching them. The person with whom the odd card is left is the old maid. Old man's beard. (Bot.) (a) The traveler's joy (Clematis Vitalba). So named from the abundant long feathery awns of its fruit. (b) The Tillandsia usneoides. See Tillandsia. Old man's head (Bot.), a columnar cactus (Pilocereus senilis), native of Mexico, covered towards the top with long white hairs. Old red sandstone (Geol.), a series of red sandstone rocks situated below the rocks of the Carboniferous age and comprising various strata of siliceous sandstones and conglomerates. See Sandstone, and the Chart of Geology. Old school, a school or party belonging to a former time, or preserving the character, manner, or opinions of a former time; as, a gentleman of the old school; -- used also adjectively; as, Old-School Presbyterians. Old sledge, an old and well-known game of cards, called also all fours, and high, low, Jack, and the game. Old squaw (Zo["o]l.), a duck (Clangula hyemalis) inhabiting the northern parts of both hemispheres. The adult male is varied with black and white and is remarkable for the length of its tail. Called also longtailed duck, south southerly, callow, hareld, and old wife. Old style. (Chron.) See the Note under Style. Old Testament. See under Testament. Old wife. [In the senses b and c written also oldwife.] (a) A prating old woman; a gossip. Refuse profane and old wives' fables. --1 Tim. iv. 7. (b) (Zo["o]l.) The local name of various fishes, as the European black sea bream (Cantharus lineatus), the American alewife, etc. (c) (Zo["o]l.) A duck; the old squaw. Old World, the Eastern Hemisphere. Syn: Aged; ancient; pristine; primitive; antique; antiquated; old-fashioned; obsolete. See Ancient.
Pro*lif"ic\, a. [F. prolifique, fr. L. proles offspring (from pro for, forward + the root of alere to nourish) + facere to make. See Adult, Old, and Fact.]1. Having the quality of generating; producing young or fruit; generative; fruitful; productive; -- applied to plants producing fruit, animals producing young, etc.; -- usually with the implied idea of frequent or numerous production; as, a prolific tree, female, and the like. 2. Serving to produce; fruitful of results; active; as, a prolific brain; a controversy prolific of evil. 3. (Bot.) Proliferous.
Squaw\, n. [Massachusetts Indian squa, eshqua; Narragansett squ[^a]ws; Delaware ochqueu, and khqueu; used also in compound words (as the names of animals) in the sense of female.] A female; a woman; -- in the language of Indian tribes of the Algonquin family, correlative of sannup. Old squaw. (Zo["o]l.) See under Old.
Strong\, a. [Compar. Stronger; superl. Strongest.] [AS. strang, strong; akin to D. & G. streng strict, rigorous, OHG. strengi strong, brave, harsh, Icel. strangr strong, severe, Dan. streng, Sw. str["a]ng strict, severe. Cf. Strength, Stretch, String.]1. Having active physical power, or great physical power to act; having a power of exerting great bodily force; vigorous. That our oxen may be strong to labor. --Ps. cxliv. 14. Orses the strong to greater strength must yield. --Dryden. 2. Having passive physical power; having ability to bear or endure; firm; hale; sound; robust; as, a strong constitution; strong health. 3. Solid; tough; not easily broken or injured; able to withstand violence; able to sustain attacks; not easily subdued or taken; as, a strong beam; a strong rock; a strong fortress or town. 4. Having great military or naval force; powerful; as, a strong army or fleet; a nation strong at sea. 5. Having great wealth, means, or resources; as, a strong house, or company of merchants. 6. Reaching a certain degree or limit in respect to strength or numbers; as, an army ten thousand strong. 7. Moving with rapidity or force; violent; forcible; impetuous; as, a strong current of water or wind; the wind was strong from the northeast; a strong tide. 8. Adapted to make a deep or effectual impression on the mind or imagination; striking or superior of the kind; powerful; forcible; cogent; as, a strong argument; strong reasons; strong evidence; a strong example; strong language. 9. Ardent; eager; zealous; earnestly engaged; as, a strong partisan; a strong Whig or Tory. Her mother, ever strong against that match. --Shak. 10. Having virtues of great efficacy; or, having a particular quality in a great degree; as, a strong powder or tincture; a strong decoction; strong tea or coffee. 11. Full of spirit; containing a large proportion of alcohol; intoxicating; as, strong liquors. 12. Affecting any sense powerfully; as, strong light, colors, etc.; a strong flavor of onions; a strong scent. 13. Solid; nourishing; as, strong meat. --Heb. v. 12. 14. Well established; firm; not easily overthrown or altered; as, a strong custom; a strong belief. 15. Violent; vehement; earnest; ardent. He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears. --Heb. v. 7. 16. Having great force, vigor, power, or the like, as the mind, intellect, or any faculty; as, a man of a strong mind, memory, judgment, or imagination. I was stronger in prophecy than in criticism. --Dryden. 17. Vigorous; effective; forcible; powerful. Like her sweet voice is thy harmonious song, As high, as sweet, as easy, and as strong. --E. Smith. 18. (Stock Exchange) Tending to higher prices; rising; as, a strong market. 19. (Gram.) (a) Pertaining to, or designating, a verb which forms its preterit (imperfect) by a variation in the root vowel, and the past participle (usually) by the addition of -en (with or without a change of the root vowel); as in the verbs strive, strove, striven; break, broke, broken; drink, drank, drunk. Opposed to weak, or regular. See Weak. (b) Applied to forms in Anglo-Saxon, etc., which retain the old declensional endings. In the Teutonic languages the vowel stems have held the original endings most firmly, and are called strong; the stems in -n are called weak other constant stems conform, or are irregular. --F. A. March. Strong conjugation (Gram.), the conjugation of a strong verb; -- called also old, or irregular, conjugation, and distinguished from the weak, or regular, conjugation. Note: Strong is often used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, strong-backed, strong-based, strong-bodied, strong-colored, strong-fisted, strong-handed, strong-ribbed, strong-smelling, strong-voiced, etc. Syn: Vigorous; powerful; stout; solid; firm; hardy; muscular; forcible; cogent; valid. See Robust.
World\, n. [OE. world, werld, weorld, weoreld, AS. weorold, worold; akin to OS. werold, D. wereld, OHG. weralt, worolt, werolt, werlt, G. welt, Icel. ver["o]ld, Sw. verld, Dan. verden; properly, the age of man, lifetime, humanity; AS. wer a man + a word akin to E. old; cf. AS. yld lifetime, age, ylde men, humanity. Cf. Werewolf, Old.]1. The earth and the surrounding heavens; the creation; the system of created things; existent creation; the universe. The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen. --Rom. 1. 20. With desire to know, What nearer might concern him, how this world Of heaven and earth conspicuous first began. --Milton. 2. Any planet or heavenly body, especially when considered as inhabited, and as the scene of interests analogous with human interests; as, a plurality of worlds. "Lord of the worlds above." --I. Watts. Amongst innumerable stars, that shone Star distant, but high-hand seemed other worlds. --Milton. There may be other worlds, where the inhabitants have never violated their allegiance to their almighty Sovereign. --W. B. Sprague. 3. The earth and its inhabitants, with their concerns; the sum of human affairs and interests. That forbidden tree, whose mortal taste Brought death into the world, and all our woe. --Milton. 4. In a more restricted sense, that part of the earth and its concerns which is known to any one, or contemplated by any one; a division of the globe, or of its inhabitants; human affairs as seen from a certain position, or from a given point of view; also, state of existence; scene of life and action; as, the Old World; the New World; the religious world; the Catholic world; the upper world; the future world; the heathen world. One of the greatest in the Christian world Shall be my surety. --Shak. Murmuring that now they must be put to make war beyond the world's end -- for so they counted Britain. --Milton. 5. The customs, practices, and interests of men; general affairs of life; human society; public affairs and occupations; as, a knowledge of the world. Happy is she that from the world retires. --Waller. If knowledge of the world makes man perfidious, May Juba ever live in ignorance. --Addison. 6. Individual experience of, or concern with, life; course of life; sum of the affairs which affect the individual; as, to begin the world with no property; to lose all, and begin the world anew. 7. The inhabitants of the earth; the human race; people in general; the public; mankind. Since I do purpose to marry, I will think nothing to any purpose that the world can say against it. --Shak. Tell me, wench, how will the world repute me For undertaking so unstaid a journey? --Shak. 8. The earth and its affairs as distinguished from heaven; concerns of this life as distinguished from those of the life to come; the present existence and its interests; hence, secular affairs; engrossment or absorption in the affairs of this life; worldly corruption; the ungodly or wicked part of mankind. I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. --John xvii. 9. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. --1 John ii. 15, 16. 9. As an emblem of immensity, a great multitude or quantity; a large number. "A world of men." --Chapman. "A world of blossoms for the bee." --Bryant. Nor doth this wood lack worlds of company. --Shak. A world of woes dispatched in little space. --Dryden. All . . . in the world, all that exists; all that is possible; as, all the precaution in the world would not save him. A world to see, a wonder to see; something admirable or surprising to see. [Obs.] O, you are novices; 't is a world to see How tame, when men and women are alone, A meacock wretch can make the curstest shrew. --Shak. For all the world. (a) Precisely; exactly. (b) For any consideration. Seven wonders of the world. See in the Dictionary of Noted Names in Fiction. To go to the world, to be married. [Obs.] "Thus goes every one to the world but I . . .; I may sit in a corner and cry heighho for a husband!" --Shak. World's end, the end, or most distant part, of the world; the remotest regions. World without end, eternally; forever; everlastingly; as if in a state of existence having no end. Throughout all ages, world without end. --Eph. iii. 21.
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Audio Help [ohld] Pronunciation Key adjective, old·er, old·est or eld·er, eld·est, noun 
