alder

[ awl-der ]

noun
  1. any shrub or tree belonging to the genus Alnus, of the birch family, growing in moist places in northern temperate or colder regions and having toothed, simple leaves and flowers in catkins.

  2. any of various trees or shrubs resembling an alder.

Origin of alder

1
before 900; Middle English alder, aller,Old English alor, al(e)r; cognate with Old Norse ǫlr,Middle Low German al(l)er<Germanic *álusṓ; akin to Middle High German alze<Germanic *alū́sō,Old High German elira, erila (German Erle) <Germanic *álisṓ,Middle Low German els(e) <Germanic *alísō, hence Germanic *álus, alísō; compare Polish olcha,Russian olʾkhá<Indo-European dialect *alisā;Lithuanian al̃ksnis,Latin alnus<Indo-European dialect *alsnos

Words Nearby alder

Other definitions for Alder (2 of 2)

Alder
[ ahl-der; German ahl-duhr ]

noun
  1. Kurt [kurt; German koort], /kɜrt; German kʊərt/, 1902–58, German chemist: Nobel Prize 1950.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use alder in a sentence

  • Later, an old wagon stand was kept there by John alder, who had a large run of customers.

    The Old Pike | Thomas B. Searight
  • The alder bushes grew close up to the walls of the cottage, and by stooping a little she managed to remain unobserved.

    Boyhood in Norway | Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen

British Dictionary definitions for alder

alder

/ (ˈɔːldə) /


noun
  1. any N temperate betulaceous shrub or tree of the genus Alnus, having toothed leaves and conelike fruits. The bark is used in dyeing and tanning and the wood for bridges, etc because it resists underwater rot

  2. any of several similar trees or shrubs

Origin of alder

1
Old English alor; related to Old High German elira, Latin alnus

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012