eld

Meanings

Noun

• One's age, age in years, period of life.
• Old age, senility; an old person.
• Time; an age, an indefinitely long period of time.
• Former ages, antiquity, olden times.

Adjective

• Old.

Verb

• To age, become or grow old.
• To delay; linger.
• To make old, age.

Origin

• From Middle English elde, from Old English ieldu, eldo, ieldo, from Proto-West Germanic *aldī, from Proto-Germanic *alþį̄ ("eld, age"), from *aldaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eltós, from *h₂el-.
• Cognate with Scots eild ("age"), North Frisian jelde ("age"), German Älte ("age"), Danish ælde ("eld, age"), Icelandic elli ("eld, age"). Related also to Gothic 𐌰𐌻𐌳𐍃 ("generation, age"), Old English alan ("to grow up, nourish"). More at old.