Nearby Words

seniors

[seen-yer] Origin

sen·ior

[seen-yer]
adjective
1.
older or elder (usually designating the older of two men bearing the same name, as a father whose son is named after him, often written as Sr. or sr. following the name): I would like to see the senior Mr. Hansen Mr. Edward Andrew Hansen, Sr. Compare junior (def. 1).
2.
of earlier appointment or admission, as to an office, status, or rank: a senior partner.
3.
of higher or the highest rank or standing.
4.
(in American schools, colleges, and universities) of or pertaining to students in their final year or to their class.
5.
(in certain American colleges and universities) of or pertaining to the final two years of education, during which a student specializes in a certain field of study.
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6.
of, for, or pertaining to a senior citizen or senior citizens as a group: senior discounts on local bus fares.
7.
of earlier date; prior to: His appointment is senior to mine by a year.
8.
Finance. having a claim on payments, assets, dividends, or the like prior to other creditors, mortgages, stockholders, etc.
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noun
9.
a person who is older than another.
10.
a person of higher rank or standing than another, especially by virtue of longer service.
11.
(in the U.S.) a student in the final year at a high school, preparatory school, college, or university.
12.
a fellow holding senior rank in a college at an English university.
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14.
(initial capital letter) a member of the Girl Scouts from 14 through 17 years of age.
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Seniors is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin, equivalent to sen(ex) old, old man + -ior comparative adj. suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

senior
late 13c., from L. senior "older," comparative of senex (gen. senis) "old," from PIE base *sen- (see senile). Original use in English was as addition to a personal name when father and son had the same name; meaning "higher in rank, longer in service" first recorded 1510s.
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The L. word yielded titles of respect in many languages, cf. Fr. sire, Sp. señor, It. signor. Noun sense of "fourth-year student" is from 1741, from earlier general sense of "advanced student" (1610s). Seniority "priority on office or service" is from mid-15c. Senior citizen first recorded 1938, Amer.Eng.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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