Eald

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. An archaic term describing old age or advanced years; often used in historical contexts to refer to elderly persons or ancient times; sometimes denotes wisdom gained through age
2. A word used historically to indicate great age or the state of being aged; refers to the elderly or something very ancient; can imply respect for the aged or a venerable status
3. Originally signifying old age or venerable antiquity; used in earlier English to describe aged individuals or long-past eras; associated with experience and the passage of time

Etymology: Old English "eald" meant "old" in the most general sense, and it is the direct ancestor of the modern English "old." The sound change from "eald" to "old" happened because of a vowel shift in the Middle English period, and the "l" was vocalized: the "ld" cluster lost its "l" sound as the vowel shifted, so the old "ea" sound became "o." The same pattern appears in other words such as "bold" and "cold," which were once spelled with "ea" in Old English as well. The Old English form is itself inherited from Proto-Germanic "*aldaz," which is the source of cognates in German "alt," Dutch "oud," and Swedish "gammal" (the last being a different root that replaced it in Scandinavian). The word has been in English since the earliest recorded texts, so there is no single date of entry to report.

Synonyms: old, ancient, aged, elderly, antique

Antonyms: young, new, modern, fresh, recent