elder
elder Lexical Profile
elder Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Of a greater age; born earlier (used especially of two related people).
"Her elder brother helped her move into the university dormitory."
• noun
A person of greater age than someone specified, or an older, respected member of a family or community.
"Children in the village were taught to listen carefully to the advice of their elders."
An official or leader in certain Christian churches and religious organizations.
"The church elders met on Tuesday evening to discuss the charitable budget."
A deciduous shrub or small tree of the genus Sambucus in the family Adoxaceae, native to temperate and subtropical regions, having pinnate leaves and flat clusters of small white flowers followed by dark purple or red berries.
"In late summer, the branches of the elder beside the garden wall were heavy with dark purple berries."
Word Nuance & Usage
As an adjective, 'elder' is used only for people (especially family members) and only attributively before a noun (e.g., 'my elder sister'), whereas 'older' can be used for both people and things and in comparisons with 'than' (e.g., 'she is older than me').
• Rhymes for elder
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The sense relating to age comes from Old English 'yldra', the mutated comparative form of 'eald' (old). The botanical sense is an unrelated homonym from Old English 'ellern', of Germanic origin.