Definitions for elder
ˈɛl dərel·der

Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. elder, senior(noun)

   a person who is older than you are

2. elder, elderberry bush(noun)

   any of numerous shrubs or small trees of temperate and subtropical northern hemisphere having white flowers and berrylike fruit

3. elder(adj)

   any of various church officers

4. elder, older, sr.(adj)

   used of the older of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a father from his son

   "Bill Adams, Sr."

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Elder(adj)

   older; more aged, or existing longer

   Etymology: [OE. ellern, eller, AS. ellen, cf. LG. elloorn; perh. akin to OHG. holantar, holuntar, G. holunder; or perh. to E. alder, n.]

2. Elder(adj)

   born before another; prior in years; senior; earlier; older; as, his elder brother died in infancy; -- opposed to younger, and now commonly applied to a son, daughter, child, brother, etc

   Etymology: [OE. ellern, eller, AS. ellen, cf. LG. elloorn; perh. akin to OHG. holantar, holuntar, G. holunder; or perh. to E. alder, n.]

3. Elder(adj)

   one who is older; a superior in age; a senior

   Etymology: [OE. ellern, eller, AS. ellen, cf. LG. elloorn; perh. akin to OHG. holantar, holuntar, G. holunder; or perh. to E. alder, n.]

4. Elder(adj)

   an aged person; one who lived at an earlier period; a predecessor

   Etymology: [OE. ellern, eller, AS. ellen, cf. LG. elloorn; perh. akin to OHG. holantar, holuntar, G. holunder; or perh. to E. alder, n.]

5. Elder(adj)

   a person who, on account of his age, occupies the office of ruler or judge; hence, a person occupying any office appropriate to such as have the experience and dignity which age confers; as, the elders of Israel; the elders of the synagogue; the elders in the apostolic church

   Etymology: [OE. ellern, eller, AS. ellen, cf. LG. elloorn; perh. akin to OHG. holantar, holuntar, G. holunder; or perh. to E. alder, n.]

6. Elder(adj)

   a clergyman authorized to administer all the sacraments; as, a traveling elder

   Etymology: [OE. ellern, eller, AS. ellen, cf. LG. elloorn; perh. akin to OHG. holantar, holuntar, G. holunder; or perh. to E. alder, n.]

7. Elder(noun)

   a genus of shrubs (Sambucus) having broad umbels of white flowers, and small black or red berries

   Etymology: [OE. ellern, eller, AS. ellen, cf. LG. elloorn; perh. akin to OHG. holantar, holuntar, G. holunder; or perh. to E. alder, n.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Elder

   An elder in Christianity is a person valued for his wisdom who accordingly holds a particular position of responsibility in a Christian group. In some Christian traditions an elder is a clergy person who usually serves a local church or churches and who has been ordained to a ministry of Word, Sacrament and Order, filling the preaching and pastoral offices. In other Christian traditions, an elder may be a lay person charged with serving as an administrator in a local church, or be ordained to such an office. Particularly in reference to age and experience, elders exist throughout world cultures, and the Christian sense of elder is partially related to this.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Elder

   eld′ėr, n. a genus of plants consisting chiefly of shrubs and trees, with pinnate leaves, small flowers (of which the corolla is wheel-shaped and five-cleft), and three-seeded berries—the Common Elder is the Scotch Bourtree.—ns. Eld′er-berr′y, the acidulous purple-black drupaceous fruit of the elder; Eld′er-gun, a popgun made of elder-wood by extracting the pith; Eld′er-wine, a pleasant wine made from elder-berries.—Elder-flower water, distilled water, with an agreeable odour, made from the flowers. [A.S. ellærn, ellen.]

2. Elder

   eld′ėr, adj. older: having lived a longer time: prior in origin.—n. one who is older: an ancestor: one advanced to office on account of age: one of a class of office-bearers in the Presbyterian Church—equivalent to the presbyters of the New Testament.—n. Eld′erliness.—adj. Eld′erly, somewhat old: bordering on old age.—n. Eld′ership, state of being older: the office of an elder.—adj. Eld′est, oldest. [A.S. eldra, yldra, comp. of eald, old.]

The Nuttall Encyclopedia(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Elder

   a name given to certain office-bearers in the Presbyterian Church, associated with the minister in certain spiritual functions short of teaching and administering sacraments; their duties embrace the general oversight of the congregation, and are of a wider nature than those of the deacons, whose functions are confined strictly to the secular interests of the church; they are generally elected by the church members, and ordained in the presence of the congregation; their term of office is in some cases for a stated number of years, but more generally for life.

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'elder' in Nouns Frequency: #3014

How to pronounce elder?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say elder in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of elder in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of elder in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of elder in a Sentence

1. Sidonius Apollinaris:

   most delightful time in the most beautiful country in the company of Tonantius Ferreolus (the elder) and Apollinaris, the most charming hosts in the world

2. Selman:

   I asked an experienced elder who had profited by his knowledge of the world, ?What course should I pursue to obtain prosperity?? He replied, ?Contentment?if you are able, practise contentment.?

3. Joseph Addison:

   If you wish success in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, experience your wise counselor, caution your elder brother and hope your guardian genius.

4. Gabriel Christian Natale Hjorth:

   No, no, I -- I dont really remember too well, Finnegan Lee Elder was recorded saying when asked about the blindfold. I was, they had me waiting so long, Italian Carabinieri via AP kind of a blur.

5. The BND:

   The thus far cautious diplomatic stance of the elder leaders in the royal family is being replaced by an impulsive interventionist policy.

Images & Illustrations of elder

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