Definitions for: Old


[n] past times (especially in the phrase"in days of old")
[adj] just preceding something else in time or order; "the previous owner"; "my old house was larger"
[adj] (linguistics) 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"
[adj] old in experience; "an old offender"; "the older soldiers"
[adj] of long duration; not new; "old tradition"; "old house"; "old wine"; "old country"; "old friendships"; "old money"
[adj] (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age; especially not young; often used as a combining form to indicate an age as specified as in `a week-old baby'; "an old man's eagle mind"--William Butler Yeats; "his mother is very old"; "a ripe old age"; "how old are you?"
[adj] lacking originality or spontaneity; no longer new; "moth-eaten theories about race"
[adj] of an earlier time; "his old classmates"



Webster (1913) Definition: Old, n.
Open country. [Obs.] See World. --Shak.


Old, a. [Compar. Older; superl. Oldest.] [OE. old,
ald, AS. ald, eald; akin to D. oud, OS. ald, OFries. ald,
old, G. alt, Goth. alpeis, and also to Goth. alan to grow up,
Icel. ala to bear, produce, bring up, L. alere to nourish.
Cf. Adult, Alderman, Aliment, Auld, Elder.]
1. Not young; advanced far in years or life; having lived
till toward the end of the ordinary term of living; as, an
old man; an old age; an old horse; an old tree.

Let not old age disgrace my high desire. --Sir P.
Sidney.

The melancholy news that we grow old. --Young.

2. Not new or fresh; not recently made or produced; having
existed for a long time; as, old wine; an old friendship.
``An old acquaintance.'' --Camden.

3. Formerly existing; ancient; not modern; preceding;
original; as, an old law; an old custom; an old promise.
``The old schools of Greece.'' --Milton. ``The character
of the old Ligurians.'' --Addison.

4. Continued in life; advanced in the course of existence;
having (a certain) length of existence; -- designating the
age of a person or thing; as, an infant a few hours old; a
cathedral centuries old.

And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou?
--Cen. xlvii.
8.

Note: In this use old regularly follows the noun that
designates the age; as, she was eight years old.

5. Long practiced; hence, skilled; experienced; cunning; as,
an old offender; old in vice.

Vane, young in years, but in sage counsel old.
--Milton.

6. Long cultivated; as, an old farm; old land, as opposed to
new land, that is, to land lately cleared.

7. Worn out; weakened or exhausted by use; past usefulness;
as, old shoes; old clothes.

8. More than enough; abundant. [Obs.]

If a man were porter of hell gate, he should have
old turning the key. --Shak.

9. Aged; antiquated; hence, wanting in the mental vigor or
other qualities belonging to youth; -- used disparagingly
as a term of reproach.

10. Old-fashioned; wonted; customary; as of old; as, the good
old times; hence, colloquially, gay; jolly.

11. Used colloquially as a term of cordiality and
familiarity. ``Go thy ways, old lad.'' --Shak.

Old age, advanced years; the latter period of life.

Old bachelor. See Bachelor, 1.

Old Catholics. See under Catholic.

Old English. See under English. n., 2.

Old Nick, Old Scratch, the devil.

Old lady (Zo["o]l.), a large European noctuid moth ({Mormo
maura}).

Old maid.
(a) A woman, somewhat advanced in years, who has never
been married; a spinster.
(b) (Bot.) A West Indian name for the pink-flowered
periwinkle (Vinca rosea).
(c) A simple game of cards, played by matching them. The
person with whom the odd card is left is the old
maid.

Old man's beard. (Bot.)
(a) The traveler's joy (Clematis Vitalba). So named
from the abundant long feathery awns of its fruit.
(b) The Tillandsia usneoides. See Tillandsia.

Old man's head (Bot.), a columnar cactus ({Pilocereus
senilis}), native of Mexico, covered towards the top with
long white hairs.

Old red sandstone (Geol.), a series of red sandstone rocks
situated below the rocks of the Carboniferous age and
comprising various strata of siliceous sandstones and
conglomerates. See Sandstone, and the Chart of
Geology.

Old school, a school or party belonging to a former time,
or preserving the character, manner, or opinions of a
former time; as, a gentleman of the old school; -- used
also adjectively; as, Old-School Presbyterians.

Old sledge, an old and well-known game of cards, called
also all fours, and high, low, Jack, and the game.

Old squaw (Zo["o]l.), a duck (Clangula hyemalis)
inhabiting the northern parts of both hemispheres. The
adult male is varied with black and white and is
remarkable for the length of its tail. Called also
longtailed duck, south southerly, callow, hareld,
and old wife.

Old style. (Chron.) See the Note under Style.

Old Testament. See under Testament.

Old wife. [In the senses
b and
c written also oldwife.]
(a) A prating old woman; a gossip.

Refuse profane and old wives' fables. --1 Tim.
iv. 7.
(b) (Zo["o]l.) The local name of various fishes, as the
European black sea bream (Cantharus lineatus), the
American alewife, etc.
(c) (Zo["o]l.) A duck; the old squaw.

Old World, the Eastern Hemisphere.

Syn: Aged; ancient; pristine; primitive; antique; antiquated;
old-fashioned; obsolete. See Ancient.

Synonyms: aged, aged(a), ageing, age-old, aging, ancient, anile, antediluvian, antiquated, antique, archaic, auld, centenarian, cold, darkened, doddering, doddery, early, elderly, emeritus, experienced, gaga, gray, gray-haired, gray-headed, grey, grey-haired, grey-headed, hand-down, hand-me-down, hoar, hoary, immemorial(ip), long-ago, longtime(a), middle-aged, moth-eaten, nonagenarian, octogenarian, of age(p), older, oldish, overage, overaged, over-the-hill, patched, preceding(a), previous(a), retired, rusty, secondhand, senescent, senile, senior, sexagenarian, stale, sunset, superannuated, unoriginal, used, venerable, white-haired, yellow, yellowed

Antonyms: immature, new, young

See Also: mature, noncurrent, nonmodern, past, past, past times, worn, yesteryear, yore

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