| 释义 |
† ˈeldfather Obs.
Forms: 1 ealdfæder, 3 aldevader, 4 aldfader, eldefader, edl(e-, eeldefadir, 5 eldfader, -fadyre, elfadyr, 6 elfader, eldefather.
[OE. (WS.) ealdfæder, f. eald, eld a., old, + father; cf. OS., OFris. aldfader, OHG. altfater, mod.G. altvater patriarch, ancestor. The occurrence in northern dialects of the forms with eld- (as if from WS. eald) has not been accounted for. Cf. eldmother.
Sense 2 does not occur in the other Teut. langs.; the form elfadyr has given rise to a suggestion that it is a distinct word, f. OE. ęl- other; but this is against the evidence of the older forms.]
1. A grandfather; a forefather in general.
Beowulf 373 (Gr.) Wæs his ealdfæder Ecgþeo haten. c1000ælfric Gen. xv. 15 Þu soþlice forþfærst..to þinum ealdfæderum. c1205Lay. 31009 He wes Mærwales fader? Mildburȝe aldeuader. c1325Metr. Hom. 122 Hir aldfader cal I Adam. c1374Chaucer Boeth. ii. iv. 40 Þer shineþ þe lyknesse of þe witte of hir fadir and of hir eldefadir. 1375Barbour Bruce xiii. 694 Eftir his gude eld-fadir [he] was Callit robert. c1425Wyntoun Cron. vii. viii. 230 Oure Kyng of Scotland, Dawy..Wes eld-fadyre til oure kyng Willame. 1460J. Capgrave Chron. 24 Sarugh, whech was eld-fader to Abraham.
2. A father-in-law.
c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 165 Nis þe gist siker of þe husebonde . ne þe aldefader of his oðem. a1300Cursor M. 5730 Moyses..was sett to kepe All his eildfader scepe. c1440Promp. Parv. 137 Elfadyr, socer. 1510Will of Bakeber (Somerset Ho.) To be bestowed at the mind of myn elfader. 1634Will in Acts Durham High Commiss. Crt. (1857) 17 note, In the parish Church of St. Nicholas as neare my eld-father, Charles Slingsbye..as possible may be. |