Meanings
- uncountableold age
Three-and-twenty years form a large portion of the short life of man,—one-third as nearly as can be expressed in unbroken numbers, of the entire term fixed by the psalmist, and full one-half, if we strike off the twilight of childhood and immature youth, and of senectitude weary of its toils.
1857, Hugh Miller, The Cruise of the Betsey, Or, a Summer Ramble Among the Fossiliferous Deposits of the HebridesSynonyms: agedness, elderliness, oldness, age, chair days, codgerhood, eld, elderliness
Synonyms & antonyms
nounold age
Origin
- Latinsenectus“aged, old age”
- Englishsenectitude
From Latin senectus (“aged, old age”), senex (“old”). Compare senescent.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
senectitude. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/senectitude
“senectitude.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/senectitude. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “senectitude,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/senectitude.
Source: senectitude on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.