What is "elder"

Elder \El"der\, n. [OE. ellern, eller, AS. ellen, cf. LG. elloorn; perh. akin to OHG. holantar, holuntar, G. holunder; or perh. to E. alder, n.] (Bot.) A genus of shrubs ( Sambucus) having broad umbels of white flowers, and small black or red berries.

Note: The common North American species is Sambucus Canadensis; the common European species ( S. nigra) forms a small tree. The red-berried elder is S. pubens. The berries are diaphoretic and aperient. The European elder ( Sambucus nigra) is also called the elderberry, bourtree, Old World elder, black elder, and common elder.

Box elder. See under 1st Box.

Dwarf elder. See Danewort.

Elder tree. (Bot.) Same as Elder.
--Shak.

Marsh elder, the cranberry tree Viburnum Opulus).

Elder \Eld"er\, n. [AS. ealdor an elder, prince, fr. eald old. See Old, and cf. Elder, a., Alderman.]

1. One who is older; a superior in age; a senior.
   --1 Tim. v. 1.

2. An aged person; one who lived at an earlier period; a predecessor.

   Carry your head as your elders have done.
   --L'Estrange.

3. A person who, on account of his age, occupies the office of ruler or judge; hence, a person occupying any office appropriate to such as have the experience and dignity which age confers; as, the elders of Israel; the elders of the synagogue; the elders in the apostolic church.

   Note: In the modern Presbyterian churches, elders are lay officers who, with the minister, compose the church session, with authority to inspect and regulate matters of religion and discipline. In some churches, pastors or clergymen are called elders, or presbyters.

4. (M. E. Ch.) A clergyman authorized to administer all the sacraments; as, a traveling elder.

   Presiding elder (Meth. Ch.), an elder commissioned by a bishop to have the oversight of the churches and preachers in a certain district.

   Ruling elder, a lay presbyter or member of a Presbyterian church session.
   --Schaff.

Elder \Eld"er\, a. [AS. yldra, compar. of eald old. See Old.]

1. Older; more aged, or existing longer.

   Let the elder men among us emulate their own earlier deeds.
   --Jowett (Thucyd. )

2. Born before another; prior in years; senior; earlier; older; as, his elder brother died in infancy; -- opposed to younger, and now commonly applied to a son, daughter, child, brother, etc.

   The elder shall serve the younger.
   --Gen. xxv. 2

3. But ask of elder days, earth's vernal hour.
   --Keble.

   Elder hand (Card Playing), the hand playing, or having the right to play, first.
   --Hoyle.

"more old," Old English (Mercian) eldra, comparative of eald, ald (see old); only English survival of umlaut in comparison. Superseded by older since 16c. Elder statesman (1921) originally was a translation of Japanese genro (plural).

type of berry tree, c.1400, with excrescent -d- from earlier ellen, from Old English ellæn, ellærn "elderberry tree," origin unknown, perhaps related to alder, which at any rate might be the source of the -d-. Common Germanic, cognates: Old Saxon elora, Middle Low German elre, Old High German elira, German Eller, Erle. Related: Elderberry.

"elderly person, senior citizen," c.1200, from Old English eldra "older person, parent; ancestor; chief, prince" (used in biblical translation for Greek presbyter); see elder (adj.). Compare German Eltern, Danish forældre, Swedish föräldrar "parents." The Old English for "grandfather" was ealdfæder.

Etymology 1

1. comparative of old: older, greater than another in age or seniority. n. 1 An older person or an older member, usually a leader, of some community. 2 One who is older than another. 3 One who lived at an earlier period; a predecessor. 4 An officer of a church, sometimes having teaching responsibilities. 5 A clergyman authorized to administer all the sacraments. 6 (context US Mormonism English) One ordained to the lowest office in the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melchizedek%20priesthood%20(Latter%20Day%20Saints). 7 (context US Mormonism English) Male missionary. 8 (context Mormonism often capitalized English) title for a male missionary; title for a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/general%20authority. 9 (context paganism and Heathenry English) A pagan or Heathen priest or priestess. v

2. (context Quakerism English) To admonish or reprove for improper conduct by the elders of the meeting. Etymology 2

   n. 1 A small tree, ''Sambucus nigra'', having white flowers in a cluster, and edible purple berries 2 Any of the other species of the genus ''Sambucus'': small trees, shrubs or herbaceous perennials with red, purple, or white/yellow berries (some of which are poisonous).

1. n. a person who is older than you are [syn: senior]

2. any of numerous shrubs or small trees of temperate and subtropical northern hemisphere having white flowers and berrylike fruit [syn: elderberry bush]

3. any of various church officers

1. adj. used of the older of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a father from his son; "Bill Adams, Sr." [syn: older, sr.]

2. older brother or sister; "big sister" [syn: big(a), older] [ant: little(a)]

An elder is someone with a degree of seniority or authority. The term may refer to:

The term Elder or its equivalent in another language, frequently utilized in French: Levieux, Italian: il Vecchio, and German: Ältester, it is used in several different countries and organizations to indicate a position of authority. This usage is usually derived from the notion that the oldest members of any given group are the wisest, and are thus the most qualified to rule, provide counsel or serve the said group in some other capacity.

Elder is a priesthood office in the Melchizedek priesthood of denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

An Elder, in many Methodist Churches, is ordained minister that has the responsibilities to preach and teach, preside at the celebration of the sacraments, administer the Church through pastoral guidance, and lead the congregations under their care in service ministry to the world.

The office of Elder, then, is what most people tend to think of as the pastoral, priestly, clergy office within the church. In most of the denominations within Methodism that use the title, ordination to the office of Elder is open to both men and women. Methodist denominations that "a threefold ministry of deacons, elders, and bishops" include the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Free Methodist Church and the United Methodist Church, among other denominations represented in the World Methodist Council.

An elder in Christianity is a person who is valued for wisdom and holds a position of responsibility in a Christian group. In some Christian traditions (e.g., Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism, Methodism) an elder is an ordained person who usually serves a local church or churches and who has been ordained to a ministry of word, sacrament and order, filling the preaching and pastoral offices. In other Christian traditions (e.g., Presbyterianism, Baptists), an elder may be a lay person charged with serving as an administrator in a local church, or be ordained to such an office, also serving in the preaching (in this case referring to teaching done during church gatherings) and/or pastoral roles. Though there is technically a distinction between the idea of ordained elders and lay elders, often the two concepts are conflated in everyday conversation (for example, a lay elder in the Baptist tradition may still be referred to as being "clergy", especially in America). Particularly in reference to age and experience, elders exist throughout world cultures, and the Christian sense of elder is partially related to this.

Elder was an American racing car constructor. Elder cars competed in one FIA World Championship race - the 1959 Indianapolis 500.

Elder is a Scottish surname with variant spellings. Its oldest public record was found in 1066 AD in Edinburgh. People with the name Elder or its variants include:

''' Élder Alencar Machado de Campos ''' (born 19 July 1976), commonly known as Élder, is a former Brazilian footballer.

Coach Elder (first name unknown) was the head football coach for the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers football team in 1907. He compiled a record of 4–3.

Elder is a three piece heavy metal band from Boston. The band consists of members: Nick DiSalvo (guitar, keyboard and vocals), Matt Couto (drums), Jack Donovan (bass guitar), and previously Chas Mitchell (bass guitar). Elder have released three full-length albums since 2006 and have also released other demos, EPs and a split album with Queen Elephantine. Nick DiSalvo claims that Colour Haze and Dungen are "the bands that have really influenced the methodology or the philosophy behind the new direction". While Elder's sound is varied, but heavily based around rock and metal, Elder's sound could also be said to have been influenced from such landmark Rock/Metal bands including Black Sabbath, Sleep and Electric Wizard.

Elder or Élder is a masculine given name which may refer to:

• Élder (footballer) (born 1976), Brazilian former footballer Élder Alencar Machado de Campos
• Elder Watson Diggs (1883-1947), principal founder and first Polemarch (chairman) of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity
• Elder José Figueroa (born 1980), Colombian-born Salvadorian footballer
• Élder Granja (born 1982), Brazilian footballer
• Elder Herrera (born 1968), Colombian retired road cyclist
• Elder Olson (1909–1992), American poet, teacher and literary critic
• Elder Vogel, Jr., American politician
• Elder White (1933-2010), Major League Baseball player in part of the 1962 season