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• elder
  elder

  adjective

  of greater age; older.
• Elder
  Elder

  noun

  Sir Mark Philip. born 1947, British conductor; musical director of the English National Opera (1979–93) and of the Hallé Orchestra from 2000

elder

¹ American  

[el-der] / ˈɛl dər /

adjective

1. of greater age; older.

   Antonyms:

   younger

2. of higher rank; senior.

   an elder officer.

3. of or relating to former times; earlier.

   Much that was forbidden by elder custom is accepted today.

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noun

1. a person who is older or higher in rank than oneself.

2. an aged person.

3. an influential member of a tribe or community, often a chief or ruler; a superior.

4. a presbyter.

5. (in certain Protestant churches) a lay member who is a governing officer, often assisting the pastor in services.

6. Mormon Church. a member of the Melchizedek priesthood.

elder ² American  

[el-der] / ˈɛl dər /

noun

1. any tree or shrub belonging to the genus Sambucus, of the honeysuckle family, having pinnate leaves, clusters of white flowers, and red or black, berrylike fruit.

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elder ¹ British  

/ ˈɛldə /

adjective

1. born earlier; senior Compare older

2. (in piquet and similar card games) denoting or relating to the nondealer (the elder hand ), who has certain advantages in the play

3. archaic

   1. prior in rank, position, or office

   2. of a previous time; former

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noun

1. an older person; one's senior

2. anthropol a senior member of a tribe who has influence or authority

3. (in certain Protestant Churches) a lay office having teaching, pastoral, or administrative functions

4. another word for presbyter

elder ² British  

/ ˈɛldə /

noun

1. Also called: elderberry.  any of various caprifoliaceous shrubs or small trees of the genus Sambucus, having clusters of small white flowers and red, purple, or black berry-like fruits

2. any of various unrelated plants, such as box elder and marsh elder

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Elder ³ British  

/ ˈɛldə /

noun

1. Sir Mark Philip. born 1947, British conductor; musical director of the English National Opera (1979–93) and of the Hallé Orchestra from 2000

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Usage

What does elder mean? Elder describes something or someone older. For example, if you have two sons, one is the elder son (the older one, born first) and one is the junior son (the younger one, born second). Elder also describes being of higher rank, or more senior. An elder is an old person. Old might depend on who you ask. To a 5-year-old child, a 50-year-old person might seem old, while to an 80-year-old, that 50-year-old is young. However, elder always means someone older than you. An elder is also an influential person in a community, often a ruler or part of a committee of rulers, and often older or more senior than most people in the community. An elder is also a tree in the honeysuckle family. Elderflowers and elderberries come from an elder tree. Example: Of the queen’s two daughters, the elder became queen, while the younger became a great warrior.

Related Words

See older.

Other Word Forms

• eldership
  noun

Etymology

Origin of elder¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English eldra, comparative of eald, ald; see old

Origin of elder²

First recorded before 900; Middle English eldre, elrene, ellerne, Old English ellærn; cognate with Middle Low German ellern

Explanation

An elder is any person who is older than you, which you may know from your sister who is only two years older than you saying, "Listen to your elders!" A church elder is someone who helps run the church, not necessarily its eldest member. Elder can be used as an adjective: Abel was the elder brother of Cain. Elder can also be a noun: showing respect for one’s elders is a value instilled from a young age by our parents. Elder is also a kind of tree. In Act Five of “Love’s Labour Lost” Shakespeare plays with the meanings of elder: Holofernes says that Berowne should speak first because he is the elder (older), which inspires Berowne to mention the folklore that Judas was hanged on an elder tree.

Example Sentences

He had left Europe shortly after the outbreak of war, having recently buried his wife, his elder daughter and his mother.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026

My role as the youngest, was to bring the water hose to water the plants, and my elder sister, Didi’s, was to add soil, and keep the plants happy.

From Salon • May 9, 2026

In 2024 there was a total of $4.9 billion in losses from 147,127 elder financial-fraud complaints, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center data.

From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026

In 2012 his elder brother – Lee Jae-yong's uncle - launched a bid to reclaim what he saw as his rightful inheritance.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

Three Recruiters drove an Anishnaabe elder, female, to School #47E, the school closest to the Espanola settlement.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline

Related Words

• patriarch
• senior
• senior citizen
• veteran