[ohld] Pronunciation Key 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. |
] —Related forms
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
| old
(ōld) Pronunciation Key
adj. old·er, old·est
n.
[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. 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. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
old
| old | |
adjective | |
| 1. | (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
In addition to the idioms beginning with old, also see any old; chip off the old block; comfortable as an old shoe; dirty joke (old man); get the air (old heave-ho); no fool like an old fool; of old; ripe old age; same old story; settle a score (old scores); stamping ground, old; teach an old dog new tricks; up to one's old tricks.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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)
Old
Old\, n. Open country. [Obs.] See World. --Shak.
Old
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.
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