Owd

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Old or aged, a form of the word used in certain northern English regional dialects
2. Describing something or someone advanced in years, as used in some northern English dialects
3. Meaning old or elderly in the regional speech of parts of northern England

Etymology: "Owd" is the northern English dialect form of "old," heard most often in Lancashire and Yorkshire. The spelling reflects local speech, in which the "l" before a consonant has been lost and the vowel stretched into a diphthong, so the word sounds closer to "owd" than to standard "old." Both forms descend from Old English "ald," meaning "old" or "aged." The same ancestor gave Scots "auld," so the northern and Scottish forms are relatives. Standard English kept the "l" in spelling and pronunciation, while dialects that lost it produced "owd."