Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Old

Old

(ōld)
,
Noun.
Open country.
[Obs.]
See
World
.
Shak.

Old

,
Adj.
[
Com
par.
Older
;
sup
erl.
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.
☞ 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.
Shakespeare
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
.
Noun.
, 2.
Old Nick
,
Old Scratch
,
the devil.
Old lady
(Zool.)
,
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
(Zool.)
,
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
Old Testament
under
Testament
, and see
tanak
.
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)
(Zool.)
The local name of various fishes, as the European black sea bream (
Cantharus lineatus
), the American alewife, etc.
(c)
(Zool.)
A duck; the old squaw.
Old World
,
the Eastern Hemisphere.
Syn. – Aged; ancient; pristine; primitive; antique; antiquated; old-fashioned; obsolete. See
Ancient
.

Webster 1828 Edition


Old

OLD

, a.
1.
Advanced far in years or life; having lived beyond the middle period, or rather towards the end of life, or towards the end of the ordinary term of living; applied to animals or plants; as an old man; an old age; an old camel or horse; an old tree. This adjective is placed after the noun that designates the time lived.
Abraham was seventy five years old when he departed from Haran. Gen. 12.
2.
Having been long made or used; decayed by time; as an old garment; an old house.
3.
Being of long continuance; begun long ago; as an old acquaintance.
4.
Having been long made; not new or fresh; as old wine.
5.
Being of a former year's growth; not of the last crop; as old wheat; old hay.
6.
Ancient; that existed in former ages; as the old inhabitants of Britain; the old Romans.
7.
Of any duration whatever; as a year old; seven years old. How old art thou?
8.
subsisting before something else. He built a new house on the site of the old one. The old law is repealed by the new.
9.
Long practiced. he is grown old in vice. He is an old offender.
10.
That has been long cultivated; as old land; an old farm; opposed to new land, land lately cleared and cultivated.
11.
More than enough; great.
If a man were porter of hellgate, he should have old turning the key.
12.
In vulgar language, crafty; cunning.
Of old, long ago; from ancient times; as in days of old.
We apply old chiefly to things subject to decay. We never say, the old sun, or an old mountain.

Definition 2024


ǫld

ǫld

See also: old, öld, øld, and 'old

Old Norse

Noun

ǫld f (genitive aldar, plural aldir)

  1. time, age
    • Vǫluspá, verse 3, lines 1-2, in 1867, S. Bugge, Norrœn fornkvæði: Sæmundar Edda hins fróða. Christiania, page 1:
      Ár var alda / þar er Ýmir bygði, []
      In early ages, / when Ymir lived []
  2. cycle, period
    • Stjorn 95, in 1834, F. Magnússon, C.C. Rafn, Fornmanna sögur. Volume VIII. Copenhagen, page 15:
      [] ok at greina daga, uikur ok manadi, aar ok aldir.
      [] and to distinguish days from weeks and months, years and centuries.
  3. (poetic) men, people
    • Hávamál, verse 12, lines 1-3, in 1867, S. Bugge, Norrœn fornkvæði: Sæmundar Edda hins fróða. Christiania, page 44:
      Era sva gott, / sem gott qveþa, / öl alda sona; []
      Is not so good, / as they say it is, / ale for the sons of men; []

Declension

Descendants

  • Danish: old c (archaic)
  • Faroese: øld f

References

  • ǫld in An Icelandic-English Dictionary, R. Cleasby and G. Vigfússon, Clarendon Press, 1874, at Internet Archive.
  • ǫld in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, G. T. Zoëga, Clarendon Press, 1910, at Internet Archive.