auld lang syne

[awld lang zahyn, sahyn]

noun

Scot. and North England.

1. old times, especially times fondly remembered.

2. old or long friendship.

auld lang syne

/ ˈɔːld læŋ ˈsəɪn, ˈzaɪn, ˈsaɪn /

noun

1. old times; times past, esp those remembered with affection or nostalgia

“Auld Lang Syne”

1. A traditional Scottish song, customarily sung on New Year's Eve; the title means “Time Long Past.” The words, passed down orally, were recorded by the eighteenth-century poet Robert Burns. The song begins:

   Should auld [old] acquaintance be forgot,

   And never brought to min'?

   Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

   And auld lang syne!

Word History and Origins

Origin of auld lang syne¹

First recorded in 1660–80; from Scots: literally, “old long since,” i.e., “old long-ago (days)”

Word History and Origins

Origin of auld lang syne¹

Scottish, literally: old long since

Example Sentences

Bill Bailey reappeared at the end of the concert, playing Auld Lang Syne on the Royal Albert Hall's famous "voice of Jupiter" organ - but not before bashing out an impromptu version of Europe's rock classic The Final Countdown.

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“I could have sang ‘Auld Lang Syne’ and they would have bought it,” he said of his rabid fanbase in a 1989 interview with The Times.

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Soprano Louise Alder and trumpeter Alison Balsam will make star turns, alongside the traditional medley of sea shanties, Pomp and Circumstance and Auld Lang Syne.

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For old time’s sake, we sing “Auld Lang Syne.”

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And 2025 will, of course, start with Murder on the Dancefloor, "but after a little bit of Auld Lang Syne," she clarifies.

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