different between seniority vs elder

English

Etymology

From Middle English senyoryte, from Medieval Latin senioritas, from Latin senior (“elder”); see senior.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: s?n-?-?r??-t?, IPA^(key): /si?n?????ti/
• (General American) enPR: s?n-y?r??-t?, IPA^(key): /sin?j???ti/
• Rhymes: -???ti
• Hyphenation: se?nior?i?ty

Noun

seniority (countable and uncountable, plural seniorities)

1. A measure of the amount of time a person has been a member of an organization, as compared to other members, and with an eye towards awarding privileges to those who have been members longer.

   It's an old-fashioned company, with parking spaces and other perks doled out on the basis of seniority.

Synonyms

• anciennity
• eldership

Related terms

• senior

Translations

Further reading

• seniority in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• seniority in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

English

Pronunciation

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /?eld?/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??ld?/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /??ld?/
• Rhymes: -?ld?(r)

Etymology 1

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.

Adjective

elder

1. comparative degree of old: older, greater than another in age or seniority.

   The elder of the two was also an elder statesman

Usage notes

• The normal comparative of old is older. The irregular form elder is sometimes used with family members, but is otherwise rare (except in fixed expressions such as elder statesman). Elder is generally limited to attributive position (my elder brother) and does not occur in predicative position (*my brother is elder). This also implies that elder cannot be followed by than.

Synonyms

• geriatric, long in the tooth, on in years; see also Thesaurus:elderly

Translations

Noun

elder (plural elders)

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. (US, Mormonism) One ordained to the lowest office in the Melchizedek priesthood.

7. (US, Mormonism) Male missionary.

8. (Mormonism, often capitalized) Title for a male missionary; title for a general authority.

9. (Germanic paganism) A pagan or Heathen priest or priestess.

Synonyms

• (older person): eld, mzee, senior; see also Thesaurus:old person
• (one who lived at an earlier period): antecessor, forerunner; see also Thesaurus:predecessor

Translations

Verb

elder (third-person singular simple present elders, present participle eldering, simple past and past participle eldered)

1. (Quakerism) To admonish or reprove for improper conduct by the elders of the meeting.

   I was eldered for directly responding to someone else's message in meeting for worship.

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Wikispecies

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

Noun

elder (plural elders)

2. A small tree, Sambucus nigra, having white flowers in a cluster, and edible purple berries
4. 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).

Synonyms

• (Sambucus nigra): black elder

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 3

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

Noun

elder

1. A cow's udder, especially used as food.

References

Anagrams

• Edler

Basque

Noun

elder inan

1. slime

Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

elder

1. present of elde

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

elder f

1. indefinite plural of elde
2. indefinite plural of elde

Verb

elder

1. present tense of elda and elde

Old Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse eldr, from Proto-Germanic *ailidaz.

Noun

elder m

1. fire
2. a skin disease - possibly erysipelas

Declension

Descendants

• Swedish: eld