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• alder
  alder

  noun

  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.
• Alder
  Alder

  noun

  Kurt 1902–58, German chemist: Nobel Prize 1950.

alder

¹ American  

[awl-der] / ˈɔl dər /

noun

• alders
  plural

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.

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Alder ² American  

[ahl-der, ahl-duhr] / ˌɑl dər, ˈɑl dər /

noun

1. Kurt 1902–58, German chemist: Nobel Prize 1950.

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alder British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• alders
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of alder

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

alder Alder alders

Plans for the floodplain land include coppicing mature alder trees and managing willow growth to support a greater diversity of plants and wildlife.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

Researchers also studied a larger alder fragment with grooves carved into its surface.

From Science Daily ● May 24, 2026

They look for hardy alder trees, which indicate an area that had been dug up for mining years ago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2025

The spacious kitchen is also accented with rich hardwood flooring, stone design elements, solid alder doors, and dual-pane windows.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2025

Mama tried everything: red alder bark tea, hot water with onion juice.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

Earlier this year, EquiTrust lent $500 million to 10 companies, with names including Harborcrest, Alder Ridge and Cedarpoint, the insurance filings show.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

"The fun part of this story is when Pattra joined my lab," Alder said.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 1, 2026

"There's some special link between melanoma and telomere maintenance," said Alder.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 1, 2026

Chiedza Nyanjowa, from Cheshire, was taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in a critical condition after the swim at Formby beach on Bank Holiday Monday and died earlier on Saturday, Merseyside Police said.

From BBC ● May 30, 2026

I’ve used bird-lime and turpentine, Enough to make you sneeze, Alder leaves and lavender— We’ve still got fleas.

From "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village" by Laura Amy Schlitz

A walk along the Gabrielino Trail with consulting arborist Alison Lancaster reveals a wealth of information about the trees of Los Angeles, including white alders, Torrey pines and coast live oaks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2024

As we spoke, a cool spring rushed out beside our feet from a low stand of alders.

From New York Times ● Aug. 31, 2022

This is the red blush seen all over the alders right now.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 25, 2022

“The cattail would be good. The alders and the willows would be a nice improvement.”

From Washington Post ● Sep. 11, 2021

He grabbed one of the alders he had used for their shelter and pulled it past the redwood roots.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

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