elder

Meanings

Adjective

• : older, greater than another in age or seniority.

Noun

• An older person or an older member, usually a leader, of some community.
• One who is older than another.
• One who lived at an earlier period; a predecessor.
• An officer of a church, sometimes having teaching responsibilities.
• A clergyman authorized to administer all the sacraments.
• One ordained to the lowest office in the Melchizedek priesthood.
• Male missionary.
• Title for a male missionary; title for a general authority.
• A pagan or Heathen priest or priestess.
• A small tree, Sambucus nigra, having white flowers in a cluster, and edible purple berries
• Any of the other species of the genus Sambucus: small trees, shrubs or herbaceous perennials with red, purple, or white/yellow berries (some of which are poisonous).
• A cow's udder, especially used as food.

Verb

• To admonish or reprove for improper conduct by the elders of the meeting.

Related

Similar words

• black elder

Origin

• From Middle English eldre, from Old English eldra, yldra, ieldra, from Proto-Germanic *alþizô. The vowel change from a to e triggered by the following i is called umlaut or I-mutation.
• From Middle English eldre, eller, from Old English ellærn, from Proto-Germanic *elernaz, *eldernaz (confer Low German Elhorn, Elloorn).
• Perhaps from Proto-Germanic *aliþro ("udder"), from *alaną. Cognate with dialectal Dutch elder ("udder").