old

Meanings

Plural: olds

Noun

past times (especially in the phrase `in days of old')
People who are old; old beings; the older generation, taken as a group.
A person older than oneself, especially an adult in relation to a teenager.
One's parents.
A typically dark-coloured lager brewed by the traditional top-fermentation method.

Adjective

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
- "his mother is very old"
- "a ripe old age"
- "how old are you?"
of long duration; not new
- "old tradition"
- "old house"
- "old wine"
- "old country"
- "old friendships"
- "old money"

Adjective Satellite

(used for emphasis) very familiar
- "good old boy"
- "same old story"
skilled through long experience
- "an old offender"
- "the older soldiers"
belonging to some prior time
(used informally especially for emphasis)
- "had us a high old time"
of a very early stage in development
- "Old English is also called Anglo Saxon"
- "Old High German is High German from the middle of the 9th to the end of the 11th century"
just preceding something else in time or order
- "my old house was larger"

Adj

Of an object, concept, relationship, etc., having existed for a relatively long period of time.
Of a living being, having lived for most of the expected years.
Of an object, concept, relationship, etc., having existed for a relatively long period of time.
Of a perishable item, having existed for most of, or more than, its shelf life.
Of an object, concept, relationship, etc., having existed for a relatively long period of time.
Of a species or language, belonging to a lineage that is distantly related to others.
Of an object, concept, relationship, etc., having existed for a relatively long period of time.
Having been used and thus no longer new or unused.
Having existed or lived for the specified time.
Of an earlier time.
Former, previous.
Of an earlier time.
That is no longer in existence.
Of an earlier time.
Obsolete; out-of-date.
Of an earlier time.
Familiar.
Of an earlier time.
Being a graduate or alumnus of a school, especially a public school.
Tiresome after prolonged repetition.
Said of subdued colors, particularly reds, pinks and oranges, as if they had faded over time.
A grammatical intensifier, often used in describing something positive, and combined with another adjective.
Indicating affection and familiarity.
Designed for a mature audience; unsuitable for children below a certain age.
Excessive, abundant.

Origin / 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”). Cognate with Scots auld (“old”), North Frisian ool, ual, uul (“old”), Saterland Frisian oold (“old”), West Frisian âld (“old”), Dutch oud (“old”), Low German old (“old”), German alt (“old”), Swedish äldre (“older, elder”), Icelandic eldri (“older, elder”), Latin altus (“high, tall, grown big, lofty”). Related to eld.

Synonyms

age-old, aged, ageing, aging, ancient, antediluvian, antiquated, antique, auld, cobwebbed, cobwebby, decrepit, eld, elderly, eldern, erstwhile, ex-, former, gray, hoary, honest-to-god, honest-to-goodness, long in the tooth, moss-grown, obsolete, of age, old, old as the hills, old as the Pyramids, olden, older, older than dirt, older than the hills, older than the Pyramids, on in years, one-time, onetime, outdated, paleo-, past, previous, quondam, sometime, sure-enough, venerable, wintry

Antonyms

brand new, ceno-, current, fresh, latest, neo-, new, new-fangled, nubile, young

Scrabble Score: 4

old is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
old is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
old is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 5

old is a valid Words With Friends word