alder

See also: Alder, Alder., ålder, and âlder

English

Grey alder, Alnus incana.

Female (left) and male (right) catkins of Alnus serrulata

Alternative forms

• owler (Lancashire)
• aller (UK, dialectal)

Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle English aldre, alder, aller, from Old English alor, from Proto-West Germanic *aluʀu, from Proto-Germanic *aluz, *alusō, *alizō, *alisō.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɔːldə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US, Canada)
  • (without the cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈɔldɚ/
  • (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈɑldɚ/

Noun

alder (plural alders)

1. Any of several trees or shrubs of the genus Alnus, belonging to the birch family.
   • 1923 October, Robert Frost, “[Notes.] The Axe-helve.”, in New Hampshire […], New York, N.Y.: Henry Holt and Company, →OCLC, page 37:

     I’ve known ere now an interfering branch / Of alder catch my lifted axe behind me. / But that was in the woods, to hold my hand / From striking at another alder’s roots, / And that was, as I say, an alder branch.

   • 1940, Rosetta E. Clarkson, Green Enchantments: The Magic Spell of Gardens, The Macmillan Company, page 273:

     Have a tree or two the witches particularly like, such as the alder, larch, cypress and hemlock; then, to counteract any possible evil effects, there must be a holly, yew, hazel, elder, mountain ash or juniper.

   • 1967, J. A. Baker, The Peregrine, page 40:

     That's what the tiercel was doing when I found him again in the alder.

Derived terms

• alder bush
• Aldercar
• alder carr
• alderfly
• aldern
• alderwood
• cherry alder
• tag alder

 

alder species

• alder buckthorn (Frangula alnus)
• Andean alder (Alnus acuminata)
• black alder (Alnus glutinosa, Ilex verticillata)
• black alder winterberry
• brook alder (Ilex verticillata)
• Caucasian alder (Alnus subcordata)
• common alder (Alnus glutinosa)
• European alder (Alnus glutinosa)
• false alder (Ilex verticillata, Cunonia capensis)
• Formosan alder (Alnus formosana)
• green alder (Alnus viridis)
• grey alder (Alnus incana)
• hazel alder (Alnus serrulata)
• Himalayan alder (Alnus nitida)
• Italian alder (Alnus cordata)
• Japanese alder (Alnus japonica)
• Manchurian alder (Alnus hirsuta)
• Mexican alder (Alnus jorullensis)
• Nepalese alder (Alnus nepalensis)
• oriental alder (Alnus orientalis)
• red alder (Alnus rubra)
• seaside alder (Alnus maritima)
• smooth alder
• speckled alder
• striped alder (Ilex verticillata)
• white alder (Ilex verticillata)
• witch alder

 

Translations

any tree or shrub of the genus Alnus

• Abaza: алтӏа́ (altʼá), алчӏвы́ (alćʷʼə́)
• Abkhaz: ал (al)
• Adyghe: екӏапцӏ (jekʼapcʼ)
• Albanian: verr (sq)
• Arabic: جَار الْمَاء m (jār al-māʔ), نَغْت m (naḡt)
• Armenian: լաստենի (hy) (lasteni)
• Aromanian: anin (roa-rup), arin (roa-rup)
• Azerbaijani: qızılağac (az)
• Bashkir: ерек (yerek)
• Basque: haltz (eu)
• Belarusian: вольха (vólʹxa)
• Breton: gwern (br) pl
• Bulgarian: елша (elša)
• Catalan: vern (ca) m
• Chechen: маъ (maʔ)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 榿／桤 (zh) (qī), 赤楊／赤杨 (zh) (chìyáng)

• Czech: olše (cs) f
• Danish: el (da)
• Dutch: els (nl) m
• Erzya: лепе (ľepe)
• Esperanto: alno
• Estonian: lepp
• Faroese: elri (fo) m, ølur m
• Finnish: leppä (fi)
• French: aulne (fr) m, verne (fr) m
• Galician: amieiro (gl) m, ameneiro (gl) m, abeneiro (gl) m, arche m
• Georgian: თხმელა (txmela), მურყანი (murq̇ani)
• German: Erle (de) f, Eller f, Erlenbaum (de) f
• Greek: άλνος m (álnos), σκλήθρα (el) f (sklíthra)

  Ancient: κλήθρα f (klḗthra)

• Greenlandic: palleq
• Hungarian: éger (hu)
• Icelandic: elri (is) n, ölur m
• Ingrian: leppä
• Ingush: миинг (miı̇ng)
• Irish: fearnóg f

  Old Irish: fern

• Italian: ontano (it) m
• Japanese: 榿 (ja) (hannoki)
• Kabardian: екӏэпцӏэ (kbd) (jekʼɛpcʼɛ)
• Kazakh: қандыағаш (qandyağaş)
• Ladin: aunëi m
• Latin: alnus (la) f
• Latvian: alksnis m
• Laz: თხომუ (txomu), ფშქველა (pşkvela)
• Low German:

  Dutch Low Saxon: eller (nds) f

  German Low German: Eller f, Els f

• Macedonian: евла f (evla)
• Manx: farney m, farney f
• Mari:

  Eastern Mari: нӧлпӧ (nölpö)

  Western Mari: лӱлпӹ (lülpÿ)

• Mazanderani: توسکا (tuskā)
• Megleno-Romanian: rin m
• Middle English: aldre
• Mingrelian: თხუმუ (txumu)
• Nahuatl: Īlītl (nah)
• Norman: aune m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: or (no) m or f, older m or f

  Nynorsk: or (nn) m or f, older m or f

• Occitan: vèrn (oc) m
• Ojibwe: wadoop
• Old English: alor m
• Old Norse: ǫlr m, elri n, elrir m, órir m
• Ossetian: фӕрв (færv)
• Ottoman Turkish: قزل آغاج (kızıl ağaç)
• Persian: توسکا (fa) (tuskâ), رزدار (razdâr)
• Polish: olcha (pl) f, olsza (pl) f
• Portuguese: amieiro (pt) m
• Romanian: arin (ro) m, anin (ro) m
• Russian: ольха́ (ru) f (olʹxá)
• Sami:

  Kildin Sami: ле̄һпь (liehp’)

• Scots: aller
• Scottish Gaelic: feàrna f, crann-fèarna m
• Serbo-Croatian: joha (sh) f, jova (sh) f
• Slovak: jelša (sk) f
• Slovene: jelša (sl)
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: wólša f

• Spanish: aliso (es) m
• Svan: ბალყა̈ჩ (balq̇äč)
• Swedish: al (sv) c
• Tagalog: aliso
• Turkish: kızılağaç (tr)
• Udmurt: лулпу (lulpu)
• Ukrainian: вільха (vilʹxa)
• Venetan: onaro (vec)
• Welsh: gwernen f
• Yiddish: אָלכע f (olkhe)

Etymology 2

Clipping of alderman.

Noun

alder (plural alders)

1. An alderman or alderwoman.
   • 2004, Stephanie Luce -, Fighting for a Living Wage, page 121:

     Almost immediately, city alders contacted the campaign to negotiate an ordinance.

   • 2013, Dawn Day Biehler, Pests in the City: Flies, Bedbugs, Cockroaches, and Rats, page 180:

     Chicago's mayor Edward Kennelly, the city alders, and many white Chicagoans opposed this siting plan.

   • 2017 September 28, Isabel Bysiewicz, “Eidelson reflects on time as alder”, in Yale Daily News:

     After three years as Ward 1 alder, Sarah Eidelson ’12 will leave city government at the end of the year.

Derived terms

• alder-liefest
• aldership

 

Anagrams

• Adler, Alred, Eldar, Leard, Radel, Radle, lader, lared

Danish

Etymology

Derived from Old Danish aldær, from Old Norse aldr, from Proto-Germanic *aldrą.

Noun

alder c (singular definite alderen, plural indefinite aldre)

1. age

Inflection

Declension of alder

common gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	alder	alderen	aldre	aldrene
genitive	alders	alderens	aldres	aldrenes

Derived terms

• alderdom
• alderdomshjem
• aldersbestemme
• aldersdiabetes
• aldersdiabetiker
• aldersformand
• aldersgruppe
• aldersgrænse
• alderspension
• alderspensionist
• alderspræsident
• aldersspredning
• alderssvarende
• alderstegen
• barnealder
• bronzealder
• førskolealder
• gennemsnitsalder
• guldalder
• jernalder
• lavalder
• levealder
• lømmelalder
• menneskealder
• middelalder
• myndighedsalder
• overgangsalder
• pensionsalder
• senmiddelalder
• stenalder
• sølvalder
• tidsalder
• trodsalder
• ungpigealder
• voksealder
• voksenalder
• værnepligtsalder

 

Middle English

Noun

alder

1. Alternative form of aldre

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Inherited from Old Norse aldr, from Proto-Germanic *aldrą. Akin to ale (“to raise”), from ala.

Noun

alder m (definite singular alderen, indefinite plural aldere or aldre or aldrer, definite plural alderne or aldrene)

1. age

Derived terms

• alderdom
• alderdommelig
• aldersattest
• aldersblandet
• aldersbolig
• aldersforskjell
• aldersforskning
• aldersgrense
• aldersgruppe
• aldersheim
• aldershjem
• alderspensjon
• alderspensjonist
• aldring
• atomalder
• bronsealder
• gjennomsnittsalder
• gullalder
• levealder
• mellomalder
• middelalder
• oljealder
• overgangsalder
• steinalder
• tidsalder

 

References

• “alder” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Inherited from Old Norse aldr, from Proto-Germanic *aldrą. Akin to ale (“to raise”), from ala.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑldɛr/

Noun

alder m (definite singular alderen, indefinite plural aldrar, definite plural aldrane)

1. age

Derived terms

• alderdom
• alderdomleg
• alderdommeleg
• aldersattest
• aldersbustad
• aldersforsking
• aldersforskjell
• aldersgrense
• aldersgruppe
• aldersheim
• alderspensjon
• alderspensjonist
• aldring
• atomalder
• bronsealder
• gjennomsnittsalder
• gullalder
• levealder
• mellomalder
• oljealder
• overgangsalder
• steinalder
• tidsalder

 

References

• “alder” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old Swedish

Alternative forms

• ᛆᛚᚦᚽᚱ (Runic)

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Norse allr, from Proto-Germanic *allaz.

Adjective

alder

1. all
2. whole, complete

Declension

Declension of alder (strong)

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	alder	al	alt
accusative	allan	alla	alt
dative	allum allom	aldri aldri	allu allo
genitive	als	aldrar	als
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	allir aller	allar	al
accusative	alla	allar	al
dative	allum allom	allum allom	allum allom
genitive	aldra aldra	aldra aldra	aldra aldra

Descendants

• Swedish: all

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Norse aldr, from Proto-Germanic *aldrą.

Noun

alder m

1. lifetime
2. age (how old someone or something is)
3. age, era
4. old age

Declension

Declension of aldrer (strong a-stem)

masculine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	aldrer	aldrrin	aldrar	aldranir, aldraner
accusative	aldr	aldrin	aldra	aldrana
dative	aldri, aldre	aldrinum, aldrenom	aldrum, aldrom	aldrumin, aldromen
genitive	aldrs	aldrsins	aldra	aldranna

Descendants

• Swedish: ålder