ELDER DEFINITIONS - 16 definitions found
elder adj 1: used of the older of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a father from his son; "Bill Adams, Sr." [syn: elder, older, sr.] n 1: a person who is older than you are [syn: elder, senior] 2: any of numerous shrubs or small trees of temperate and subtropical northern hemisphere having white flowers and berrylike fruit [syn: elder, elderberry bush] 3: any of various church officers elder lered Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (2003) elder I. noun Etymology: Middle English eldre, from Old English ellærn; perhaps akin to Old English alor alder — more at alder Date: before 12th century elderberry 2 II. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Old English ieldra, comparative of eald old Date: before 12th century 1. of earlier birth or greater age <his elder brother> 2. of or relating to earlier times ; former 3. archaic of or relating to a more advanced time of life 4. prior or superior in rank, office, or validity III. noun Date: before 12th century 1. one living in an earlier period 2. a. one who is older ; senior <a child trying to please her elders> b. an aged person 3. one having authority by virtue of age and experience <the village elders> 4. any of various officers of religious groups: as a. presbyter 1 b. a permanent officer elected by a Presbyterian congregation and ordained to serve on the session and assist the pastor at communion c. minister 2 d. a leader of the Shakers e. a Mormon ordained to the Melchizedek priesthood • eldership noun Oxford English Reference Dictionary
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner\'s English Dictionary elder (elders) 1. The elder of two people is the one who was born first. ...his elder brother. ...the elder of her two daughters. ADJ: ADJ n, the ADJ, the ADJ of n 2. A person's elder is someone who is older than them, especially someone quite a lot older. (FORMAL) The young have no respect for their elders. N-COUNT: poss N 3. In some societies, an elder is one of the respected older people who have influence and authority. ...tribal elders. N-COUNT 4. An elder is a bush or small tree which has groups of small white flowers and black berries. N-COUNT English-Old English dictionary elder The Nuttall Encyclopaedia (1907) 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. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Elder \Eld"er\, a. [AS. yldra, compar. of eald old. See Old.] 1. Older; more aged, or existing longer. Let the elder men among us emulate their own earlier deeds. --Jowett (Thucyd. ) 2. 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. The elder shall serve the younger. --Gen. xxv. 23. But ask of elder days, earth's vernal hour. --Keble. Elder hand (Card Playing), the hand playing, or having the right to play, first. --Hoyle. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Elder \Eld"er\, n. [AS. ealdor an elder, prince, fr. eald old. See Old, and cf. Elder, a., Alderman.] 1. One who is older; a superior in age; a senior. --1 Tim. v. 1. 2. An aged person; one who lived at an earlier period; a predecessor. Carry your head as your elders have done. --L'Estrange. 3. 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. Note: In the modern Presbyterian churches, elders are lay officers who, with the minister, compose the church session, with authority to inspect and regulate matters of religion and discipline. In some churches, pastors or clergymen are called elders, or presbyters. 4. (M. E. Ch.) A clergyman authorized to administer all the sacraments; as, a traveling elder. Presiding elder (Meth. Ch.), an elder commissioned by a bishop to have the oversight of the churches and preachers in a certain district. Ruling elder, a lay presbyter or member of a Presbyterian church session. --Schaff. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Elder \El"der\, n. [OE. ellern, eller, AS. ellen, cf. LG. elloorn; perh. akin to OHG. holantar, holuntar, G. holunder; or perh. to E. alder, n.] (Bot.) A genus of shrubs ({Sambucus}) having broad umbels of white flowers, and small black or red berries. Note: The common North American species is Sambucus Canadensis}; the common European species ({S. nigra}) forms a small tree. The red-berried elder is S. pubens}. The berries are diaphoretic and aperient. Box elder. See under 1st Box. Dwarf elder. See Danewort. Elder tree. (Bot.) Same as Elder. --Shak. Marsh elder, the cranberry tree Viburnum Opulus). International Standard Bible Encyclopedia ELDER see ELDER IN THE OLD TESTAMENT; ELDER IN THE NEW TESTAMENT Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary Elder a name frequently used in the Old Testament as denoting a person clothed with authority, and entitled to respect and reverence (Gen. 50:7). It also denoted a political office (Num. 22:7). The "elders of Israel" held a rank among the people indicative of authority. Moses opened his commission to them (Ex. 3:16). They attended Moses on all important occasions. Seventy of them attended on him at the giving of the law (Ex. 24:1). Seventy also were selected from the whole number to bear with Moses the burden of the people (Num. 11:16, 17). The "elder" is the keystone of the social and political fabric wherever the patriarchal system exists. At the present day this is the case among the Arabs, where the sheik (i.e., "the old man") is the highest authority in the tribe. The body of the "elders" of Israel were the representatives of the people from the very first, and were recognized as such by Moses. All down through the history of the Jews we find mention made of the elders as exercising authority among the people. They appear as governors (Deut. 31:28), as local magistrates (16:18), administering justice (19:12). They were men of extensive influence (1 Sam. 30:26-31). In New Testament times they also appear taking an active part in public affairs (Matt. 16:21; 21:23; 26:59). The Jewish eldership was transferred from the old dispensation to the new. "The creation of the office of elder is nowhere recorded in the New Testament, as in the case of deacons and apostles, because the latter offices were created to meet new and special emergencies, while the former was transmitted from the earlies times. In other words, the office of elder was the only permanent essential office of the church under either dispensation." The "elders" of the New Testament church were the "pastors" (Eph. 4:11), "bishops or overseers" (Acts 20:28), "leaders" and "rulers" (Heb. 13:7; 1 Thess. 5:12) of the flock. Everywhere in the New Testament bishop and presbyter are titles given to one and the same officer of the Christian church. He who is called presbyter or elder on account of his age or gravity is also called bishop or overseer with reference to the duty that lay upon him (Titus 1:5-7; Acts 20:17-28; Phil. 1:1). Soule\'s Dictionary of English Synonyms elder I. a. 1. Older, senior, earlier born. 2. Senior, ranking, previously appointed or commissioned. 3. Earlier, more ancient, ancient, olden. II. n. 1. Senior, superior in age. 2. Old man, aged man, venerable man. 3. Presbyter, ruling elder. English Explanatory Dictionary (Synonyms) elder ̈ɪˈeldə adj. 1 older, senior: My elder brother was born in 1930. 2 venerable, respected, (pre-)eminent; experienced, veteran: Clemenceau was an elder statesman at the Geneva Convention. --n. 3 senior, superior; patriarch, elder statesman, dean, doyen or doyenne: Everyone paid great respect to the elders of the tribe. Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 288 Moby Thesaurus words for "elder": Aaronic priesthood, Bible clerk, Bible reader, Establishment, Father Time, Melchizedek priesthood, Methuselah, Nestor, Old Paar, Seventy, VIP, acolyte, age, alderman, almoner, anagnost, ancestors, antecedent, antecedents, antediluvian, anterior, anticipatory, antique, apostle, archon, ascendants, authority, back number, bailie, baron, beadle, bedral, big gun, big man, big name, bigwig, bishop, boss, brass, brass hat, burghermaster, burgomaster, bwana, cabinet member, cabinet minister, caducity, capitular, capitulary, celebrity, centenarian, chancellor, chef, chief, choir chaplain, church dignitary, churchwarden, ci-devant, city councilman, city father, city manager, clerk, commissar, commissioner, conservative, councillor, councilman, councilwoman, county commissioner, county supervisor, dad, deacon, deaconess, dean, dignitary, dignity, doctor, dodo, dotard, doyen, doyenne, earlier, early, ecclesiarch, elder statesman, elderliness, elderman, elders, eldest, employer, experienced, father, fathers, figure, first, first-born, firstling, fogy, fore, forebears, forefathers, foregoing, former, fossil, fud, fuddy-duddy, gaffer, geezer, golden-ager, goodman, gramps, grandfather, grandfathers, grandparents, grandsire, granny, graybeard, great man, great soul, guru, has-been, headman, high priest, husband, illuminate, important person, induna, intellect, intellectual, interests, lay elder, lay reader, lector, lecturer, legislator, liege, liege lord, lion, longhair, lord, lord mayor, lord paramount, lords of creation, lover of wisdom, magistrate, magnate, mahatma, maire, major, man of intellect, man of mark, man of wisdom, mandarin, master, mastermind, matriarch, mayor, mentor, mid-Victorian, minister, minister of state, mogul, mossback, nabob, name, nonagenarian, notability, notable, octogenarian, old age, old believer, old chap, old codger, old crock, old dodo, old dog, old duffer, old fogy, old geezer, old gent, old gentleman, old liner, old man, old party, old poop, old woman, old-timer, older, oldest, oldster, oracle, overlord, padrone, panjandrum, pantaloon, paramount, parish clerk, paterfamilias, patriarch, patriarchs, patron, person of renown, personage, personality, philosopher, pillar of society, pop, pops, portreeve, power, power elite, preceding, precentor, precurrent, predecessors, preexistent, presbyter, previous, priest, prime, primogenitary, prior, progenitors, rabbi, reactionary, reader, reeve, regular old fogy, relic, respected, rishi, ruling circle, ruling elder, sachem, sacrist, sacristan, sage, sahib, sapient, savant, scholar, secretary, secretary of state, seer, seigneur, seignior, selectman, senectitude, senescence, senior, senior citizen, septuagenarian, sexagenarian, sexton, shames, sidesman, sire, somebody, something, square, starets, succentor, suisse, superior, supervisor, syndic, teacher, teaching elder, the great, the quiet-voiced elders, the top, thinker, thurifer, top brass, top people, traditionalist, tycoon, undersecretary, venerable, venerable sir, verger, vergeress, very important person, veteran, warden, wise man, wise old man, worthy, years |
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