alder

[ awl-der ]

/ ˈɔl dər /

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.

any of various trees or shrubs resembling an alder.

Nearby words

aldan, aldebaran, aldeburgh, aldehyde, alden, alder, alder buckthorn, alder fly, alder flycatcher, alder's anomaly, alderfly

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

Definition for alder (2 of 2)

Alder

[ ahl-der; German ahl-duh r ]

/ ˌɑl dər; German ˈɑl dər /

noun

Kurt [kurt; German koo rt] /kɜrt; German kʊərt/, 1902–58, German chemist: Nobel Prize 1950.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for alder

Salmon, tuna, sturgeon, mussels, oysters, and sable are marinated and smoked using hickory and alder wood.
Become a Fried Seafood Believer at South Beach Market|Jane & Michael Stern|April 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Over the creek she went at one leap; then down through the alder bushes till she came back again into the pasture.
The Magic Speech Flower|Melvin Hix
On the alder trees I catch the Hoplia, the splendid scarab who pales the azure of the heavens.
The Life of the Fly|J. Henri Fabre
To the alder dub they know the trout make when the river is low.
Poachers and Poaching|John Watson

I looked at an alder, laden with brown catkins, its blunt foliage stained with innumerable shades of lovely colour.
The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft|George Gissing
Nests are placed about six feet high on terminal twigs of oak and alder.
The Breeding Birds of Kansas|Richard F. Johnston

British Dictionary definitions for alder

alder

/ (ˈɔːldə) /

noun

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

any of several similar trees or shrubs

Word Origin for alder

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

Medicine definitions for alder

Alder

[ äl′dər ]

Kurt 1902-1958

German chemist. He shared a 1950 Nobel Prize for discoveries concerning the structure of organic matter.