Adjacent Words

Age definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

AGE, n. [L. aetas,or aevum. But these are undoubtedly contracted words.]
1. The whole duration of a being, whether animal, vegetable, or other kind; as, the usual age of man is seventy years; the age of a horse may be twenty or thirty years; the age of a tree may be four hundred years.
2. That part of the duration of a being, which is between its beginning and any given time; as, what is the present age of a man, or of the earth?
Jesus began to be about thirty years of age. Luke 3.
3. The latter part of life, or long continued duration; oldness.
The eyes of Israel were dim for age. Genesis 48.
4. A certain period of human life, marked by a difference of state; as, life is divided into four stages or ages, infancy, youth, manhood, and old age; the age of youth; the age of manhood.
5. The period when a person is enabled by law to do certain acts for himself, or when he ceases to be controlled by parents or guardians; as, in our country, both males and females are of age in twenty-one years old.
6. Mature years; ripeness of strength or discretion.
He is of age, as him. John 9.
7. The time of life for conceiving children, or perhaps the usual time of such an event.
Sarah was delivered of a son when she was past age.
Hebrews 11.
8. A particular period of time, as distinguished from others; as, the golden age, the age of iron, the age of heroes or of chivalry.
9. The people who live at a particular period; hence, a generation and a succession of generations; as, ages yet unborn.
The mystery hid from ages. Colossians 1.
10. A century; the period of one hundred years.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: how long something has existed; "it was replaced because of its age"
2: an era of history having some distinctive feature; "we live in a litigious age" [syn: historic period, age]
3: a time of life (usually defined in years) at which some particular qualification or power arises; "she was now of school age"; "tall for his eld" [syn: age, eld]
4: a prolonged period of time; "we've known each other for ages"; "I haven't been there for years and years" [syn: long time, age, years]
5: a late time of life; "old age is not for sissies"; "he's showing his years"; "age hasn't slowed him down at all"; "a beard white with eld"; "on the brink of geezerhood" [syn: old age, years, age, eld, geezerhood] v
1: begin to seem older; get older; "The death of his wife caused him to age fast"
2: grow old or older; "She aged gracefully"; "we age every day-- what a depressing thought!"; "Young men senesce" [syn: senesce, age, get on, mature, maturate]
3: make older; "The death of his child aged him tremendously" [ant: rejuvenate]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French aage, age, from Vulgar Latin *aetaticum, from Latin aetat-, aetas, from aevum lifetime — more at aye Date: 13th century 1. a. the time of life at which some particular qualification, power, or capacity arises or rests <the voting age is 18>; specifically majority b. one of the stages of life c. the length of an existence extending from the beginning to any given time <a boy 10 years of age> d. lifetime e. an advanced stage of life 2. a period of time dominated by a central figure or prominent feature <the age of Pericles>: as a. a period in history or human progress <the age of reptiles> <the age of exploration> b. a cultural period marked by the prominence of a particular item <entering the atomic age> c. a division of geologic time that is usually shorter than an epoch 3. a. the period contemporary with a person's lifetime or with his or her active life b. a long time — usually used in plural <haven't seen him in ages> c. generation 4. an individual's development measured in terms of the years requisite for like development of an average individual Synonyms: see period II. verb (aged; aging or ageing) Date: 14th century intransitive verb 1. to become old ; show the effects or the characteristics of increasing age 2. to acquire a desirable quality (as mellowness or ripeness) by standing undisturbed for some time <letting cheese age> transitive verb 1. to cause to become old 2. to bring to a state fit for use or to maturity • ager noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a the length of time that a person or thing has existed or is likely to exist. b a particular point in or part of one's life, often as a qualification (old age; voting age). 2 a colloq. (often in pl.) a long time (took an age to answer; have been waiting for ages). b a distinct period of the past (golden age; Bronze age; Middle Ages). c Geol. a period of time. d a generation. 3 the latter part of life; old age (the peevishness of age). --v. (pres. part. ageing, aging) 1 intr. show signs of advancing age (has aged a lot recently). 2 intr. grow old. 3 intr. mature. 4 tr. cause or allow to age. Phrases and idioms: age-long lasting for a very long time. age of consent see CONSENT. age of discretion see DISCRETION. age-old having existed for a very long time. come of age reach adult status (esp. in Law at 18, formerly 21). over age 1 old enough. 2 too old. under age not old enough, esp. not yet of adult status. Etymology: ME f. OF ult. f. L aetas -atis age

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Age Age, n. In poker, the right belonging to the player to the left of the dealer to pass the first round in betting, and then to come in last or stay out; also, the player holding this position; the eldest hand.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Age Age, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Aged; p. pr. & vb. n. Aging.] To grow aged; to become old; to show marks of age; as, he grew fat as he aged. They live one hundred and thirty years, and never age for all that. --Holland. I am aging; that is, I have a whitish, or rather a light-colored, hair here and there. --Landor.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Age Age ([=a]j), n. [OF. aage, eage, F. [^a]ge, fr. L. aetas through a supposed LL. aetaticum. L. aetas is contracted fr. aevitas, fr. aevum lifetime, age; akin to E. aye ever. Cf. Each.] 1. The whole duration of a being, whether animal, vegetable, or other kind; lifetime. Mine age is as nothing before thee. --Ps. xxxix. 5. 2. That part of the duration of a being or a thing which is between its beginning and any given time; as, what is the present age of a man, or of the earth? 3. The latter part of life; an advanced period of life; seniority; state of being old. Nor wrong mine age with this indignity. --Shak. 4. One of the stages of life; as, the age of infancy, of youth, etc. --Shak. 5. Mature age; especially, the time of life at which one attains full personal rights and capacities; as, to come of age; he (or she) is of age. --Abbott. Note: In the United States, both males and females are of age when twenty-one years old. 6. The time of life at which some particular power or capacity is understood to become vested; as, the age of consent; the age of discretion. --Abbott. 7. A particular period of time in history, as distinguished from others; as, the golden age, the age of Pericles. ``The spirit of the age.'' --Prescott. Truth, in some age or other, will find her witness. --Milton. Note: Archeological ages are designated as three: The Stone age (the early and the later stone age, called paleolithic and neolithic), the Bronze age, and the Iron age. During the Age of Stone man is supposed to have employed stone for weapons and implements. See Augustan, Brazen, Golden, Heroic, Middle. 8. A great period in the history of the Earth. Note: The geologic ages are as follows: 1. The Arch[ae]an, including the time when was no life and the time of the earliest and simplest forms of life. 2. The age of Invertebrates, or the Silurian, when the life on the globe consisted distinctively of invertebrates. 3. The age of Fishes, or the Devonian, when fishes were the dominant race. 4. The age of Coal Plants, or Acrogens, or the Carboniferous age. 5. The Mesozoic or Secondary age, or age of Reptiles, when reptiles prevailed in great numbers and of vast size. 6. The Tertiary age, or age of Mammals, when the mammalia, or quadrupeds, abounded, and were the dominant race. 7. The Quaternary age, or age of Man, or the modern era. --Dana. 9. A century; the period of one hundred years. Fleury . . . apologizes for these five ages. --Hallam. 10. The people who live at a particular period; hence, a generation. ``Ages yet unborn.'' --Pope. The way which the age follows. --J. H. Newman. Lo! where the stage, the poor, degraded stage, Holds its warped mirror to a gaping age. --C. Sprague. 11. A long time. [Colloq.] ``He made minutes an age.'' --Tennyson. Age of a tide, the time from the origin of a tide in the South Pacific Ocean to its arrival at a given place. Moon's age, the time that has elapsed since the last preceding conjunction of the sun and moon. Note: Age is used to form the first part of many compounds; as, agelasting, age-adorning, age-worn, age-enfeebled, agelong. Syn: Time; period; generation; date; era; epoch.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Age Age, v. t. To cause to grow old; to impart the characteristics of age to; as, grief ages us.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(ages, ageing, aging, aged) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. Note: The spelling 'aging' is also used, mainly in American English. 1. Your age is the number of years that you have lived. She has a nephew who is just ten years of age... At the age of sixteen he qualified for a place at the University of Hamburg... I admired him for being so confident at his age. N-VAR 2. The age of a thing is the number of years since it was made. Everything in the room looks in keeping with the age of the building. N-VAR 3. Age is the state of being old or the process of becoming older. Perhaps he has grown wiser with age... The fabric was showing signs of age... 4. When someone ages, or when something ages them, they seem much older and less strong or less alert. He had always looked so young, but he seemed to have aged in the last few months... He was only in his mid-thirties, but already worry had aged him. VERB: V, V n 5. An age is a period in history. ...the age of steam and steel. ...items of Bronze Age pottery. N-COUNT: usu with supp 6. You can say an age or ages to mean a very long time. (INFORMAL) He waited what seemed an age... The bus took absolutely ages to arrive. = forever N-COUNT 7. see also aged, ageing, coming of age, dark age, golden age, Ice Age, Iron Age, middle age, Stone Age 8. If someone tells you to act your age, they are telling you to behave in a way that is suitable for someone your age, because they think you are behaving in a childish way. PHRASE: V inflects [disapproval] 9. If something comes of age, it reaches an important stage of development and is accepted by a large number of people. Recycling is an issue that has come of age in Britain in the last decade. PHRASE: V inflects 10. When someone comes of age, they become legally an adult. The company was to be held in trust for Eddie until he came of age. PHRASE: V inflects 11. Someone who is under age is not legally old enough to do something, for example to buy an alcoholic drink. Because she was under age, her parents were still responsible for her. ...under age smoking. PHRASE: usu v-link PHR, PHR n

Easton's Bible Dictionary

used to denote the period of a man's life (Gen. 47:28), the maturity of life (John 9:21), the latter end of life (Job 11:17), a generation of the human race (Job 8:8), and an indefinite period (Eph. 2:7; 3:5, 21; Col. 1:26). Respect to be shown to the aged (Lev. 19:32). It is a blessing to communities when they have old men among them (Isa. 65:20; Zech. 8:4). The aged supposed to excel in understanding (Job 12:20; 15:10; 32:4, 9; 1 Kings 12:6, 8). A full age the reward of piety (Job 5:26; Gen. 15:15).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

aj: A period of time or a dispensation. In the above sense the word occurs only once in the King James Version, in the sing, as the translation of dor, which means, properly, a "revolution" or "round of time," "a period," "an age" or "generation of man's life"; almost invariable translated "generation," "generations" (Job 8:8), "Inquire, I pray thee, of the former age"); we have the plural as the translation of aion, properly "duration," "the course or flow of time," "an age or period of the world," "the world" (Eph 2:7, "in the ages to come"; Col 1:26, "the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations," the English Revised Version, "from all ages," etc., the American Revised Version, margin, of geneai, "generations" (Eph 3:5 "generations," Eph 3:21, "unto all generations for ever and ever," Greek margin, "all the generations of the age of the ages"). "Ages is given in margin of the King James Version (Ps 145:13; Isa 26:4, "the rock of ages").

We have "age" in the above sense (2 Esdras 3:18; Tobit 14:5; aion) "ages," aion (1 Esdras 4:40 (of Truth) "she is the strength," etc., "of all ages"), genea, the Revised Version (British and American), "generation" (The Wisdom of Solomon 7:27; 1 Macc 2:61); Ecclesiasticus 24:33, eis geneas aionon, "generations of ages"; The Wisdom of Solomon 14:6, "generations' (geneseos).

Revised Version has "age" for "world" (Heb 6:5); "ages" for "worlds" (the Revised Version, margin Heb 1:2; the American Revised Version, margin; compare 1Ti 1:17) (margin, "unto the ages of the ages"), "ages" for "world" (1Co 10:11; Heb 9:26). the English Revised Version has "all ages" for "the beginning of the world " (Eph 3:9, the American Standard Revised Version "for ages"); "king of the ages" for "king of saints" (Re 15:3, corrected text; margin, many ancient authorities read "nations"; Jer 10:7).

See EVERLASTING.

W. L. Walker

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Duration of existence, time of life, period of life, stage of life. 2. Period, date, epoch, time. 3. Century, a hundred years. 4. Old age, decline of life, vale of years, verge of life. 5. Maturity, mature years, years of discretion.

Foolish Dictionary

Something to brag about in your wine-cellar and forget in a birth-day book. The boast of an old vintage, the bug a boo of an old maid.

Moby Thesaurus

Bronze Age, Dark Ages, Depression Era, Golden Age, Ice Age, Iron Age, Jacksonian Age, Middle Ages, New Deal Era, Platonic year, Prohibition Era, Silver Age, Steel Age, Stone Age, abidingness, aboriginality, aeon, ages, ancien regime, ancientness, annus magnus, antiquate, antiquity, atavism, become extinct, become obsolete, blue moon, caducity, century, cheat the undertaker, cobwebs of antiquity, constancy, continuance, cycle, cycle of indiction, date, day, days, decline, defeat of time, defiance of time, develop, diuturnity, dodder, durability, durableness, duration, dust of ages, eld, elderliness, eldership, endurance, epoch, era, eternity, fade, fail, florid, fossilize, fust, generation, get along, get on, glacial epoch, great age, great year, grow, grow old, grow up, hoary age, hoary eld, indiction, inveteracy, lastingness, life, lifetime, long, long standing, long time, long while, long-lastingness, long-livedness, longevity, lose currency, maintenance, maturate, mellow, molder, month of Sundays, obsolesce, old age, old order, old style, oldness, outdate, perdurability, perennation, period of existence, perish, permanence, perpetuity, persistence, primitiveness, primogeniture, primordialism, primordiality, right smart spell, ripe, ripen, rust, senectitude, senescence, senility, seniority, shake, shrivel, sink, stability, standing, steadfastness, superannuate, survival, survivance, time, totter, turn gray, turn white, venerableness, wane, waste away, wither, wizen, wrinkle, years, years on end