alder-

UK/ˈɔːldə/Canada, US/ˈɔldɚ/Canada, US, cot caught merger/ˈɑldɚ/

prefix

Of all; having the greatest degree of something, prefixed to superlative adjectives and adverbs.

“alder- + best → alderbest (“best of all”)”

OriginMiddle English alder- ← Old English ealra →
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Meanings

prefix

alternative aller- · alternative allur- · alternative aldyr- · alternative alther-

  1. obsoleteOf all; having the greatest degree of something, prefixed to superlative adjectives and adverbs.

    alder- + best → alderbest (“best of all”)

    1 more example

    alder- + liefest → alderliefest (“dearest of all”)

Origin

  1. Old Englishealra
  2. Middle Englishalder-
  3. Englishalder-

Inherited from Middle English alder-, from Old English ealra, genitive plural of eall (“all”). Compare German aller-, Dutch aller-, Old Norse allra. For the epenthetic /d/, compare with the development of unrelated alder.

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

alder-. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alder-

MLA

“alder-.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alder-. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “alder-,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alder-.

Source: alder- on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.