Older; senior; having lived a longer time; born, produced, or formed before something else: opposed to younger.

Prior in origin or appointment; preceding in the date of a commission; senior: as, an elder officer or magistrate.

Prior in time; earlier; former.

noun. Same as wild elder (under elder).

noun. Same as wild elder (under elder).

noun. Same as pale elder.

noun. One who is older than another or others; an elderly person.

noun. A forefather; a predecessor; one of a former generation in the same family, class, or community.

noun. In the Old Testament, a title of indefinite signification applied to various officers, but generally indicating in the earlier history the princes or heads of tribes, and afterward men of special influence, dignity, and authority in their local community.

noun. In the New Testament, also the title of certain officers in the Christian church, whose functions are not clearly defined, but who apparently exercised a considerable control in the conduct of the local churches.

noun. In certain Protestant churches, an officer exercising governmental functions, either with or without teaching or pastoral functions.

noun. In some bodies of American Methodists elder is the general term for any clergyman. In the Methodist Episcopal Church the presiding elder is an ordained clergyman appointed by and serving under the bishop as superintendent, with large though carefully defined supervisory powers within a specified “district,” which usually corresponds somewhat in extent to an average county in an eastern State. In this district every minister is amenable to him, and every church is subject to his supervision and is usually visited by him three or four times during the year. He presides at Quarterly and often at District Conferences. Traveling elders are itinerant preachers appointed by the Annual Conference.

noun. In the Mormon Church the elder is an officer whose duty it is “to preach and baptize; to ordain other elders, and also priests, teachers, and deacons; to lay on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost; to bless children; and to take the lead of all meetings.” The elders constitute the Melchizedek priesthood, and include the apostles, the Seventy, the evangelists or patriarchs, and the high priest. Mormon Catechism, xvii.

noun. Among the Shakers, four elders, two males and two females (the latter also called elderesses), have charge of each of the aggregated families.

noun. The common name for species of Sambucus.

noun. In the United States, the Aralia hispida.

adjective. Older; more aged, or existing longer.

adjective. Born before another; prior in years; senior; earlier; older; ; -- opposed to younger, and now commonly applied to a son, daughter, child, brother, etc.

adjective. the hand playing, or having the right to play, first.

noun. A genus of shrubs (Sambucus) having broad umbels of white flowers, and small black or red berries.

noun. See under 1st Box.

noun. See Danewort.

noun. Same as Elder.

noun. the cranberry tree Viburnum Opulus).

noun. One who is older; a superior in age; a senior.

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

noun. 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

noun. A clergyman authorized to administer all the sacraments.

noun. an elder commissioned by a bishop to have the oversight of the churches and preachers in a certain district.

noun. a lay presbyter or member of a Presbyterian church session.

adjective. Comparative of old; greater than another in age or seniority.

noun. An older person or an older member, usually a leader, of some community.

noun. One who is older than another.

noun. An officer of a church, sometimes having teaching responsibilities

noun. The lowest office in the Melchizedek priesthood.

noun. One ordained to the office of elder.

noun. Male missionary, title for a male missionary; title for a general authority.

noun. A pagan or Heathen priest or priestess.

noun. A small tree of the genus Sambucus having white flowers in a cluster, and purple berries.

noun. any of various church officers

noun. a person who is older than you are

adjective. used of the older of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a father from his son

noun. any of numerous shrubs or small trees of temperate and subtropical northern hemisphere having white flowers and berrylike fruit

"The term elder, or old man as the Hebrew literally imports, was one of extensive use, as an official title, among the Hebrews and the surrounding nations, because the heads of tribes and the leading people who had acquired influence were naturally the older people of the nation."

american elder  blood-elder  box-elder  california elder  common elder  

senior  

elder statesman  elder stateswoman  elderberry  elderly  eldership  

gelder  kelder  melder  welder  

bishop  clergyman  dear  deceased  elderly  

Aaronic priesthood  Bible clerk  Bible reader  Establishment  Father Time