OLD

old, previous(a)

(adjective) just preceding something else in time or order; “the previous owner”; “my old house was larger”

Old

(adjective) of a very early stage in development; “Old English is also called Anglo Saxon”; “Old High German is High German from the middle of the 9th to the end of the 11th century”

old, older

(adjective) skilled through long experience; “an old offender”; “the older soldiers”

old

(adjective) (used for emphasis) very familiar; “good old boy”; “same old story”

bully, bang-up, corking, cracking, dandy, great, groovy, keen, neat, nifty, not bad, peachy, slap-up, swell, smashing, old

(adjective) very good; “he did a bully job”; “a neat sports car”; “had a great time at the party”; “you look simply smashing”; “we had a grand old time”

old

(adjective) of long duration; not new; “old tradition”; “old house”; “old wine”; “old country”; “old friendships”; “old money”

old

(adjective) (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age; “his mother is very old”; “a ripe old age”; “how old are you?”

former, erstwhile(a), old, onetime, one-time, quondam, sometime

(adjective) belonging to some prior time; “erstwhile friend”; “our former glory”; “the once capital of the state”; “her quondam lover”

old

(noun) past times (especially in the phrase ‘in days of old’)

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

old (comparative older or elder, superlative oldest)

Of an object, concept, relationship, etc, having existed for a relatively long period of time.

Of a living being, having lived for most of the expected years.

Of a perishable item, having existed for most, or more than its shelf life.

Having been used and thus no longer new or unused.

Having existed or lived for the specified time.

(heading) Of an earlier time.

Former, previous.

That is no longer in existence.

Obsolete; out-of-date.

Familiar.

(UK) Being a graduate or alumnus of a school, especially a public school.

Tiresome after prolonged repetition.

Said of subdued colors, particularly reds, pinks and oranges, as if they had faded over time.

A grammatical intensifier, often used in describing something positive. (Mostly in idioms like good old, big old and little old, any old and some old.)

(obsolete) Excessive, abundant.

Synonyms

• (having existed for a long period of time): ancient, long in the tooth; see also old

• (having lived for many years): aged, ageing / aging, elderly, long in the tooth, on in years; see also elderly

• (having existed or lived for the specified time): aged, of age

• (former): erstwhile, ex-, former, one-time, past; see also former

• (out-of-date): antiquated, obsolete (of words), outdated; see also obsolete

Antonyms

• (having existed for a long period of time): brand new, fresh, new

• (having lived for many years): young

• (former): current, latest, new

Noun

old pl (plural only)

(with the) People who are old; old beings; the older generation, taken as a group.

(in combination) One of a specified age.

Anagrams

• DLO, DOL, Dol, LDO, LOD, Lo'd, LoD, Lod, dol, lod

Source: Wiktionary


Old, n.

Definition: Open country. [Obs.] See World. Shak.

Old, a. [Compar. Older; superl. Oldest.] Etym: [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.

Note: 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 Ant: 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. Shak.

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. n., 2.

– Old Nick, Old Scratch, the devil.

– Old lady (Zoöl.), 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 opinious 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 (Zoöl.), 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 under Testament.

– Old wife. [In the senses b and cwritten also oldwife.] (a) A prating old woman; a gossip. Refuse profane and old wives' fables. 1 Tim. iv. 7. (b) (Zoöl.) The local name of various fishes, as the European black sea bream (Cantharus lineatus), the American alewife, etc. (c) (Zoöl.) A duck; the old squaw.

– Old World, the Eastern Hemisphere.

Syn.

– Aged; ancient; pristine; primitive; antique; antiquated; old- fashioned; obsolete. See Ancient.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

25 April 2024

TYPIFY

(verb) embody the essential characteristics of or be a typical example of; “The fugue typifies Bach’s style of composition”


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