Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Old
Old
,Adj.
[
Com
par.
Older
; sup
erl.
Oldest
.] 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
treeLet 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;
“An old acquaintance.” as,
old
wine; an old
friendship. Camden.
3.
Formerly existing; ancient; not modern; preceding; original;
“The old schools of Greece.” as, an
old
law; an old
custom; an old
promise. 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
, as opposed to old
farm; old
landnew
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
; hence, colloquially, gay; jolly. old
times11.
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 , 2.
– English
. Noun.
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
; – used also adjectively; old school
as,
. Old-School
PresbyteriansOld 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
. – 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
Old Norse
Noun
ǫld f (genitive aldar, plural aldir)
Declension
Declension of ǫld (strong i-stem)
Descendants
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.