Etymology

elder

el·der
E1L1D2E1R1

Today it means: Closer to the dealer, i.e. receiving cards earlier than others. Full definition →

Middle English eldre ← Old English eldra ← Proto-Germanic *alþizô
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elder · adjective, noun, verb1

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*alþizô
  2. Old English · inherited fromeldra
  3. Middle English · inherited fromeldre
  4. English todayelder

From Middle English eldre, from Old English eldra, yldra, ieldra, from Proto-Germanic *alþizô. The vowel change from a to e triggered by the following i is called umlaut or I-mutation.

elder · noun2

  1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*elernaz
  2. Old English · derived fromellærn
  3. Middle English · derived fromeldre
  4. English todayelder

] From Middle English eldre, eller, ellern, from Old English ellærn, from Proto-Germanic *elernaz, *eldernaz (compare Low German Elhorn, Elloorn).

elder · noun3

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*aliþro“udder”
  2. English todayelder

Perhaps from Proto-Germanic *aliþro (“udder”), from *alaną (“to nourish”). Cognate with dialectal Dutch elder (“udder”).

Words from the same roots

Old Englishellærn all →

eldern

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.