elder1 adjectiveelder2 noun
elderel‧der1 /ˈeldə $ -ər/ ●●○ adjective especially British English 
WORD ORIGINelder1
Origin:
Old English ieldra, from eald ‘old’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- John's elder brother died in a boating accident.
- Wright's elder sister is also an actor.
- And the elder Miss Snoot at her window high up in Old Odborough looks over the roofs of the town.
- Bruch suggests that a significantly large proportion of anorexics are eldest or elder daughters.
- But his elder brother John thinks that he knew better what the score was than he ever let on.
- His elder brother, Nails, still at school, played water-polo for the town and stole cars.
- In contrast, Jane Alexander as the elder sister and Robert Klein as her bulky beau are hitched to plows.
- Polyneices, the elder son, did the same.
Longman Language Activatorolder than someone else
· I have one older brother and two younger brothers.· People say that older people need less sleep.older than · Donna's husband's a lot older than she is.
: elder brother/sister someone's older brother or sister: · Wright's elder sister is also an actor.· John's elder brother died in a boating accident.
: eldest brother/sister/son/daughter someone's oldest brother, sister, son, or daughter: · I shared a bedroom with my eldest sister.· Their eldest son, Howard, is an administrator at Castle Park High School.the eldest (=the oldest): · Rosie was the eldest of our four daughters.
· Did you know that the oldest woman in America is 110 years old?· Tonya, our oldest daughter, got married in April.
your elders are people who are older than you, such as your parents or teachers, and who you should therefore respect and be polite to: your elders: · Respect your elders.· You shouldn't talk to your elders like that!
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
His elder son Liam became a lawyer. Sarah is the elder of the two.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES a respected elder statesmanCOLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN
the elder of two people, especially brothers and sisters, is the one who was born first OPP youngerelder brother/son/sister/daughter etc His elder son Liam became a lawyer. Sarah is the elder of the two.· I have two older brothers.
a respected elder statesman· His elder brother, Nails, still at school, played water-polo for the town and stole cars.· There was some difficulty about funds until Laxmidas, Mohandas' elder brother and a lawyer, undertook to supply them.· His elder brother Edwin was next in succession to the baronetcy, but he was a total invalid.· As the first verdict for Lyle Menendez was read, the elder brother looked straight ahead and then shook his head slowly.· His two elder brothers and one sister all died as children.· But as the elder brother remains silent, his lawyers are preparing a new tack in their fight against murder charges.· Twenty years earlier he fled from an elder brother plotting to kill him.· Always he had been overshadowed by his elder brother, the famous Black Douglas - and never wished it otherwise.
· The elder child may be made to give way to the demands of the younger one in order to keep the peace.· In 1944, when she was out shopping, a flying bomb killed her elder child.
· Nenna was struck by the difference in her elder daughter since she had seen her last.· Bruch suggests that a significantly large proportion of anorexics are eldest or elder daughters.· Inside the caravan her elder daughter was pushing at the door to come out.· It took me a while to realise that the elder daughter had only a stump instead of a left arm.· His elder daughters, seventeen-year-old Nancy and fourteen-year-old Ella, were round all over.· Kate and John's two elder daughters, Jemima and Jenny, particularly enjoy this part of Christmas.· Terry wrote out messages for his girlfriend Madeleine and their daughter Sulome, his elder daughter Gabrielle and for his sister Peggy.
· She was, as she always had been, a kind of benign, elder sister.· Her elder sister married the Reverend Norris, who received the living at Mansfield.· In fact, although Constanze was not such an accomplished singer as her two elder sisters, she was by no means musically illiterate.· In contrast, Jane Alexander as the elder sister and Robert Klein as her bulky beau are hitched to plows.· Mum ran when she was young and my two elder sisters, Lorraine and Lisa, could have been good.· Two of the survivors had several elder sisters working as compositors.· Her elder sister had married and moved to her in-laws.
· Then his example lured his elder son Bertrand to Tripoli in 1112, and his younger son Alphonse Jourdain there in 1147.· Their elder son, Nicky, had disappeared on his motorcycle in a cloud of dust and anger.· One was to her elder son Gamal, who was then in Florida.· The elder son of the Rev.· Two of the pioneers of X-ray diffraction were William Bragg and his elder son, Lawrence.· They always remind me of those twins from that cartoonist my elder son liked.
His elder son Liam became a lawyer. Sarah is the elder of the two. ► Don’t say ‘elder than someone’. Say older than someone: She was two years older than me.elder1 adjectiveelder2 noun
elderelder2 ●○○ noun [countable] WORD ORIGINelder2
Origin:
1-5 ➔ ELDER16 Old English ellærnEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- the tribal elders
- At a very early age children learn to self-justify, because they learn it from their elders who are continuously doing it.
- Classical music elders may turn up their noses, but so far, the antics are working.
- However, as stories so often show, what elders say youth disregards.
- I myself have watched many elders labour over their paintings and pour spiritual potency into these creations.
- It is natural enough for them to want to acquire knowledge from their elders.
- Such elders may have given positive meaning to experiences of anxiety, poverty, chronic illness, multiple losses and death.
- The ancestors rarely act on their own initiative: generally these avenging angels of justice are invoked by the local elder.
Longman Language Activatorolder than someone else
· I have one older brother and two younger brothers.· People say that older people need less sleep.older than · Donna's husband's a lot older than she is.
: elder brother/sister someone's older brother or sister: · Wright's elder sister is also an actor.· John's elder brother died in a boating accident.
: eldest brother/sister/son/daughter someone's oldest brother, sister, son, or daughter: · I shared a bedroom with my eldest sister.· Their eldest son, Howard, is an administrator at Castle Park High School.the eldest (=the oldest): · Rosie was the eldest of our four daughters.
· Did you know that the oldest woman in America is 110 years old?· Tonya, our oldest daughter, got married in April.
your elders are people who are older than you, such as your parents or teachers, and who you should therefore respect and be polite to: your elders: · Respect your elders.· You shouldn't talk to your elders like that!
WORD SETSabbess, nounabbey, nounabbot, nounabsolution, nounAdvent, nounalleluia, interjectionaltar boy, nounAnglican, nounAnglo-Catholic, nounapocalyptic, adjectiveapostle, nounapostolic, adjectivearchbishop, nounarchbishopric, nounarchdeacon, nounarchdiocese, nounArk of the Covenant, nounAsh Wednesday, nounAuthorized Version, banns, nounbaptism, nounBaptist, nounbaptize, verbbasilica, nounbeadle, nounbeatify, verbBenedictine, nounbenediction, nounbenefice, nounbiblical, adjectivebiretta, nounbishop, nounbishopric, nounblaspheme, verbblasphemy, nounbrother, nounbull, nounCalvinism, nounCalvinist, adjectivecanon, nouncanonical, adjectivecanonize, verbcanon law, nouncantor, nouncardinal, nouncardinal sin, nouncarol, nouncatechism, nouncathedral, nounCatholic, adjectivechantry, nounchapel, nounchaplain, nounchaplaincy, nounchapter, nounchapterhouse, nouncherub, nounChrist, nounchristen, verbChristendom, nounchristening, nounChristian, nounChristian, adjectivechurch, nounchurchgoer, nounchurchman, nounChurch of England, nounchurchwarden, nounchurchwoman, nounchurchyard, nounclergyman, nounclergywoman, nouncleric, nounclerical, adjectiveclerk, nouncloister, nouncollect, nouncommandment, nouncommunicant, nouncompline, nounconfess, verbconfession, nounconfessional, nounconfessor, nounconfirmation, nouncongregation, nounCongregationalism, nounconsecrate, verbcope, nouncreationist, nouncreche, nouncrib, nouncrosier, nouncrozier, nouncrucifix, nouncrucifixion, nouncrusade, nouncrusade, verbcrypt, nouncuracy, nouncurate, noundeacon, noundeaconess, noundean, noundeanery, noundiocese, noundisciple, noundisestablish, verbdispensation, noundog collar, nounDominican, nounEaster, nounecclesiastic, nounecclesiastical, adjectiveecumenical, adjectiveEden, nounelder, nounencyclical, nounEpiphany, nounepiscopal, adjectiveEpistle, nounevangelical, adjectiveevangelist, nounevangelize, verbevensong, nounexcommunicate, verbexegesis, nounfellowship, nounflagellant, nounflagellate, verbflock, nounfont, nounFr, friar, nounfrock, nounfundamentalist, noungargoyle, noungenuflect, verbgodfather, nounGod-fearing, adjectivegodless, adjectivegodly, adjectivegodmother, noungodparent, noungodson, nounGood Friday, noungrace, noungracious, adjectiveHail Mary, nounharvest festival, nounHigh Church, nounHigh Mass, nounHoly Communion, nounHoly Father, nounHoly Spirit, nounHoly Week, nounHoly Writ, nounhomily, nounhymn book, nounimprimatur, nounincarnation, nouninduct, verbindulgence, nouninquisitor, nouninterdenominational, adjectiveinterdict, nounJehovah, Jesuit, nounJesus, judgment day, nounlay, adjectivelay reader, nounlectern, nounlesson, nounlitany, nounLow Church, nounlychgate, nounMadonna, nounmanna, nounmanse, nounmatins, nounmeeting-house, nounmessianic, adjectiveMethodist, nounminister, nounministerial, adjectiveministry, nounminster, nounmiracle, nounmissal, nounmissionary, nounmitre, nounmoderator, nounMonsignor, nounMorning Prayer, nounmortal sin, nounMother of God, nounMother Superior, nounname day, nounNativity, nounNativity play, nounnave, nounNegro spiritual, nounNoah's ark, nounNonconformist, adjectivenuncio, nounoffertory, nounoratory, nounordination, nounoriginal sin, nounOur Father, nounOur Lady, Our Lord, padre, nounPalm Sunday, nounpapacy, nounpapal, adjectivepapist, nounparable, nounparish, nounparish church, nounparish clerk, nounparishioner, nounparochial, adjectiveparochial school, nounparson, nounparsonage, nounpassion play, nounpastor, nounpatriarch, nounpatron saint, nounpenance, nounpenitent, nounPentecost, nounPentecostal, adjectiveperdition, nounPlymouth Brethren, nounpontiff, nounpontifical, adjectivepontificate, nounPope, nounprayer book, nounpredestination, nounprelate, nounPresbyterian, nounpresbytery, nounpriest, nounPrimate, nounprior, nounprioress, nounpriory, nounPromised Land, the, Protestant, nounpsalm, nounpsalmist, nounpsalter, nounpulpit, nounQuaker, nounRC, rector, nounrectory, nounredeem, verbredemption, nounrequiem, nounRev, Revd, Reverend, nounReverend Mother, nounrevival, nounrevival meeting, nounRoman Catholic, adjectiverood screen, nounrosary, nounsacrament, nounsacristan, nounsacristy, nounsaint, nounsainted, adjectivesainthood, nounsaint's day, nounsalvation, nounsanctuary, nounSatan, nounsave, verbschism, nounscriptural, adjectivesecular, adjectivesee, nounseminary, nounseraph, nounsermon, nounsexton, nounShrove Tuesday, nounsister, nounsisterhood, nounSJ, special licence, nounsteeple, nounstigmata, nounstoup, nounSunday school, nounsurplice, nounsynod, nountabernacle, nountestify, verbtransubstantiation, nounTrappist, noununfrock, verbUnitarian, nounvenial, adjectivevespers, nounvestment, nounvestry, nounvicar, nounvicarage, nounvotive, adjectivevow, nounVulgate, the, nounWhitsun, nounwimple, nounXmas, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Janet’s sister was eight years her elder.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES a respected elder statesmanCOLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN
Janet’s sister was eight years her elder.· I have two older brothers.
a respected elder statesman· A church elder, he was convener of the fabric committee of Grandtully/Strathtay and Logiealmond Churches.· Honest with the church elders who hired him, he told them that his family is his first ministry.· Read in studio A church playgroup is facing closure because, it's claimed, church elders don't like children.
· The village elders wouldn't like it, said Monique, though the football team might.· The village elders were encouraged to establish a system of local government, and elected their leaders.· The teachers, the women's committee, village elders and the mayor were overjoyed.· The parents of the girls and the village elders are saying, Please come and help us.· A few months later one of the village elders appeared in our office.· Primitive myth comes to us through the kindness of shamans, village elders, witches, warlocks, and medicine men.· Envious village elders would instigate whispering campaigns against them, or accuse them directly of witchcraft.
VERB· He couldn't be all that ruthless and cold-hearted if he respected his elders, she mused, her spirits lifting.· Kids are learning to respect their pop elders, too.· In the Confucian spirit, he was the respected elder.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► be somebody’s elder
1be somebody’s elder formal to be older than someone elsebe two/ten etc years somebody’s elder- For our purposes it may be more helpful to use the idea of desire when assessing elders.
- He roused himself wearily to exchange greetings with the elders as they passed him, and went in to his foster-father.
- In this respect at least, the procedures reflected those of a lineage or tribal meeting of elders and shaikhs.
- Indeed, the absence of official elders was a source of wonder to visitors from systems run by a selected few.
- Some, like Monta o, believe to this day that the city killed their elders.
- The Oaks are the Elders of the Forest and the others are aware of it.
- The weary elders of the 1980s take revenge at last upon the hapless victims of the 1960s.
- Community Care believes elder abuse is a major problem.
- In the overall case, the four-year statute of limitations on alleged fraud, theft and financial elder abuse expires in February.
- Intent could be a factor in defining elder abuse.
- Report on local authority guidelines on elder abuse.
- Researching the prevalence of elder abuse is notoriously difficult, and information on the abuse of black elders is non-existent.
- The incidence of elder abuse is hard to quantify.
Janet’s sister was eight years her elder.2somebody’s elders (and betters) people who are older than you and who you should respect3a member of a tribe or other social group who is important and respected because they are old: a meeting of the village elders4someone who has an official position of responsibility in some Christian churches5elder abuse the crime of harming an old person6a small wild tree that has white flowers and black berries