eldern
English
Etymology 1
From Middle English eldern, eldrin, elderne, equivalent to elder + -en.
Alternative forms
Adjective
eldern (comparative more eldern, superlative most eldern)
Synonyms
- (elderly): aged, long in the tooth, wizened; see also Thesaurus:elderly
- (not new): aged, cobwebby, olden; see also Thesaurus:old
Etymology 2
From an alteration (due to elder) of Middle English ellern (“eldern”), from Old English ellærn, ellarn (“of elder-wood, eldern”), equivalent to elder + -en.
Adjective
eldern (not comparable)
- (obsolete) Made of elder wood, or of the elder tree.[1]
- c. 1603 (date written), Iohn Marston, The Malcontent, London: […] V[alentine] S[immes] for William Aspley, […], published 1604, →OCLC, Act IV, scene iv:
- [T]ruth, a heauen he would diſcharge vs as boyes do elderne guns, one pellet to ſtrike out another: […]
References
- ^ “eldern”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.