elder

[eld·er]

An elder is any person who is older than you, which you may know from your sister who is only two years older than you saying, "Listen to your elders!" A church elder is someone who helps run the church, not necessarily its eldest member.

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Older; more aged, or existing longer.

Noun
a person who is older than you are

Noun
any of various church officers

Noun
any of numerous shrubs or small trees of temperate and subtropical northern hemisphere having white flowers and berrylike fruit

Adjective
older brother or sister; "big sister"

Adjective S.
used of the older of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a father from his son; "Bill Adams, Sr."

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a.
Older; more aged, or existing longer.

a.
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.

a.
One who is older; a superior in age; a senior.

a.
An aged person; one who lived at an earlier period; a predecessor.

a.
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.

a.
A clergyman authorized to administer all the sacraments; as, a traveling elder.

n.
A genus of shrubs (Sambucus) having broad umbels of white flowers, and small black or red berries.

Elder

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.

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.

But ask of elder days, earth's vernal hour.

Elder hand (Card Playing), the hand playing, or having the right to play, first. Hoyle.

Elder

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.

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. &hand; 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.

Elder

El"der , n. [OE. ellern, eller, AS. ellen, cf. LG. elloorn; perh. akin to OHG. holantar, holuntar, G. holunder; or perh. to E. alder, n.] (Bot.) A genus of shrubs (Sambucus) having broad umbels of white flowers, and small black or red berries. &hand; The common North American species is Sambucus Canadensis; the common European species (S. nigra) forms a small tree. The red-berried elder is S. pubens. The berries are diaphoretic and aperient. Box elder. See under 1st Box. -- Dwarf elder. See Danewort. -- Elder tree. (Bot.) Same as Elder. Shak. -- Marsh elder, the cranberry tree Viburnum Opulus).

Older; more aged, or existing longer.

One who is older; a superior in age; a senior.

A genus of shrubs (Sambucus) having broad umbels of white flowers, and small black or red berries.

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Usage Examples

As an elder of the Americas and of the rest of the planet, it is my responsibility to care for and protect, to the best of my ability, the young.

Fact: The new '90210' is cooler than the old '90210.' It's the lithe, streamlined Skipper to the elder series' venerable Barbie. Gone are the traditional parents - they've been replaced by a hipster mom n' pop who get busted necking in the car.

If you wish to succeed in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, experience your wise counselor, caution your elder brother, and hope your guardian genius.

Misspelled Form

elder, welder, 3elder, 4elder, relder, selder, delder, wlder, 3lder, 4lder, rlder, slder, dlder, ewlder, e3lder, e4lder, erlder, eslder, edlder, eklder, eolder, eplder, e:lder, ekder, eoder, epder, e:der, elkder, eloder, elpder, el:der, elsder, eleder, elfder, elxder, elcder, elser, eleer, elfer, elxer, elcer, eldser, eldeer, eldfer, eldxer, eldcer, eldwer, eld3er, eld4er, eldrer, eldser, eldder, eldwr, eld3r, eld4r, eldrr, eldsr, elddr, eldewr, elde3r, elde4r, elderr, eldesr, eldedr, eldeer, elde4r, elde5r, eldetr, eldefr, eldee, elde4, elde5, eldet, eldef, eldere, elder4, elder5, eldert, elderf.

Other Usage Examples

Clearly older women and especially older women who have led an active life or elder women who successfully maneuver through their own family life have so much to teach us about sharing, patience, and wisdom.

My birth neither shook the German Empire nor caused much of an upheaval in the home. It pleased mother, caused father a certain amount of pride and my elder brother the usual fraternal jealousy of a hitherto only son.

I created the Women's Federation for World Peace in order to restore all that woman originally lost. You American women don't need a man in the position of grandfather, parents, husband, elder or younger brother. You only need the true Adam.

Now that I am sixty, I see why the idea of elder wisdom has passed from currency.