Word: old Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Inherited from Middle English old, oold, from Old English ald, eald (“old, aged, ancient, antique, primeval”), from Proto-West Germanic *ald, from Proto-Germanic *aldaz (“grown-up”), originally a participle form, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eltós (“grown, tall, big”). Cognates Cognate with Scots aald, auld (“old”), Yola yola, yolaw, yold, yole (“old”), North Frisian ool, ual, uuil, uul, üülj (“old”), Saterland Frisian oold (“old”), West Frisian âld (“old”), Alemannic German altu, oalt, oalts, olt, àltà (“old”), Bavarian oid (“old”), Central Franconian alt, aod, auw, oot (“old”), Cimbrian and German alt (“old”), Dutch oud (“old”), German Low German old, oolt (“old”), Luxembourgish al (“old”), Mòcheno òlt (“old”), Vilamovian aołd (“old”), Yiddish אַלט (alt, “old”), Danish ældre (“elderly”), Faroese eldri (“elder, older”), Icelandic aldinn (“old”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk eldre (“elderly”), Swedish äldre (“elderly”), Crimean Gothic alt (“old”), Gothic 𐌰𐌻𐌸𐌴𐌹𐍃 (alþeis, “old”), Latin altus (“high, tall, grown big, lofty”). Related to eld. Pronunciation: /əʊld/, [ɒʊɫd], /əwld/, [ɔw(ɫ)d], /ˈɔld/ 1. Of an object, concept, relationship, etc., having existed for a relatively long period of time. Example: an old abandoned building Example: an old friend 2. Of an object, concept, relationship, etc., having existed for a relatively long period of time. Example: a wrinkled old man 3. Of an object, concept, relationship, etc., having existed for a relatively long period of time. Example: an old loaf of bread 4. Of an object, concept, relationship, etc., having existed for a relatively long period of time. Example: the ginkgo is one of the oldest living trees Example: Basque is the oldest language in Europe 5. Having been used and thus no longer new or unused. Example: I find that an old toothbrush is good to clean the keyboard with. 6. Having existed or lived for the specified time. Example: How old are they? She’s five years old and he's seven. We also have a young teen and a two-year-old child. Example: My great-grandfather lived to be a hundred and one years old. 7. Of an earlier time. Example: My new car is not as good as my old one. a school reunion for Old Etonians Example: The humor of my proposition appealed more strongly to Miss Trevor than I had looked for, and from that time forward she became her old self again; for, even after she had conquered her love for the Celebrity, the mortification of having been jilted by him remained. 8. Of an earlier time. Example: The footpath follows the route of an old railway line. 9. Of an earlier time. Example: That is the old way of doing things; now we do it this way. 10. Of an earlier time. Example: When he got drunk and quarrelsome they just gave him the old heave-ho. Example: Adrian thought it worth while to try out his new slang. ‘I say, you fellows, here's a rum go. Old Biffo was jolly odd this morning. He gave me a lot of pi-jaw about slacking and then invited me to tea. No rotting! He did really.’ 11. Of an earlier time. Labels: UK 12. Tiresome after prolonged repetition. Example: Rik: But even great shtick can get old real fast: the dreaded Saturday Night Live syndrome. Jim: Randomness can help - many Living Books have characters that do different things each time you click on them. Example: John and I built a small stone house on the head of “Bonetta” Canyon and had a hog killing time all by ourselves. Hunting was our delight at first, until it became old. 13. Said of subdued colors, particularly reds, pinks and oranges, as if they had faded over time. 14. A grammatical intensifier, often used in describing something positive, and combined with another adjective. Example: We're having a good old time. Example: My next car will be a big old SUV. 15. Indicating affection and familiarity. Labels: informal Example: Finally, when they were all done slobbering around, old Sally introduced us. 16. Designed for a mature audience; unsuitable for children below a certain age. Example: Monsieur's story is too old for our Juvenile Magazine. Example: The text is too old for toddlers, but the colorful photographs are large enough and appropriate for them. 17. Excessive, abundant. Labels: obsolete Example: URSULA: Madam, you must come to your uncle. Yonder's old coil at home: it is proved, my Lady Hero hath been falsely accused, the prince and Claudio mightily abused;