[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

elder \eld"er\, a. as. yldra, compar. of eald old. see old.
   1. older; more aged, or existing longer.
      1913 webster

            let the elder men among us emulate their own earlier
            deeds.                                --jowett
                                                  thucyd. 
      1913 webster

   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.
      1913 webster

            the elder shall serve the younger.    --gen. xxv.
                                                  23.
      1913 webster

            but ask of elder days, earth's vernal hour. --keble.
      1913 webster

   elder hand card playing, the hand playing, or having the
      right to play, first. --hoyle.
      1913 webster
see also:
old younger elder hand 

[2] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

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.
   1913 webster

   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.
         1913 webster + wordnet 1.5

   box elder. see under 1st box.

   dwarf elder. see danewort.

   elder tree. bot. same as elder. --shak.

   marsh elder, the cranberry tree viburnum opulus.
      1913 webster
see also:
sambucus sambucus canadensis s. nigra s. pubens sambucus nigra elderberry 
bourtree old world elder black elder common elder box elder 
box dwarf elder danewort elder tree elder 
marsh elder viburnum opulus 

[3] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

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.
      1913 webster

   2. an aged person; one who lived at an earlier period; a
      predecessor.
      1913 webster

            carry your head as your elders have done.
                                                  --l'estrange.
      1913 webster

   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.
      1913 webster

   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.
         1913 webster

   4. m. e. ch. a clergyman authorized to administer all the
      sacraments; as, a traveling elder.
      1913 webster

   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.
      1913 webster
see also:
old elder alderman presiding elder ruling elder 

[4] : WordNet (r) 2.0

elder
     adj 1: 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: biga, older
        ant: littlea
     n 1: 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
see also:
older sr. biga littlea senior elderberry bush 

[5] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

288 moby thesaurus words for "elder":
   aaronic priesthood, bible clerk, bible reader, establishment,
   father time, melchizedek priesthood, methuselah, nestor, old paar,
   seventy, vip, acolyte, age, alderman, almoner, anagnost, ancestors,
   antecedent, antecedents, antediluvian, anterior, anticipatory,
   antique, apostle, archon, ascendants, authority, back number,
   bailie, baron, beadle, bedral, big gun, big man, big name, bigwig,
   bishop, boss, brass, brass hat, burghermaster, burgomaster, bwana,
   cabinet member, cabinet minister, caducity, capitular, capitulary,
   celebrity, centenarian, chancellor, chef, chief, choir chaplain,
   church dignitary, churchwarden, ci-devant, city councilman,
   city father, city manager, clerk, commissar, commissioner,
   conservative, councillor, councilman, councilwoman,
   county commissioner, county supervisor, dad, deacon, deaconess,
   dean, dignitary, dignity, doctor, dodo, dotard, doyen, doyenne,
   earlier, early, ecclesiarch, elder statesman, elderliness,
   elderman, elders, eldest, employer, experienced, father, fathers,
   figure, first, first-born, firstling, fogy, fore, forebears,
   forefathers, foregoing, former, fossil, fud, fuddy-duddy, gaffer,
   geezer, golden-ager, goodman, gramps, grandfather, grandfathers,
   grandparents, grandsire, granny, graybeard, great man, great soul,
   guru, has-been, headman, high priest, husband, illuminate,
   important person, induna, intellect, intellectual, interests,
   lay elder, lay reader, lector, lecturer, legislator, liege,
   liege lord, lion, longhair, lord, lord mayor, lord paramount,
   lords of creation, lover of wisdom, magistrate, magnate, mahatma,
   maire, major, man of intellect, man of mark, man of wisdom,
   mandarin, master, mastermind, matriarch, mayor, mentor,
   mid-victorian, minister, minister of state, mogul, mossback, nabob,
   name, nonagenarian, notability, notable, octogenarian, old age,
   old believer, old chap, old codger, old crock, old dodo, old dog,
   old duffer, old fogy, old geezer, old gent, old gentleman,
   old liner, old man, old party, old poop, old woman, old-timer,
   older, oldest, oldster, oracle, overlord, padrone, panjandrum,
   pantaloon, paramount, parish clerk, paterfamilias, patriarch,
   patriarchs, patron, person of renown, personage, personality,
   philosopher, pillar of society, pop, pops, portreeve, power,
   power elite, preceding, precentor, precurrent, predecessors,
   preexistent, presbyter, previous, priest, prime, primogenitary,
   prior, progenitors, rabbi, reactionary, reader, reeve,
   regular old fogy, relic, respected, rishi, ruling circle,
   ruling elder, sachem, sacrist, sacristan, sage, sahib, sapient,
   savant, scholar, secretary, secretary of state, seer, seigneur,
   seignior, selectman, senectitude, senescence, senior,
   senior citizen, septuagenarian, sexagenarian, sexton, shames,
   sidesman, sire, somebody, something, square, starets, succentor,
   suisse, superior, supervisor, syndic, teacher, teaching elder,
   the great, the quiet-voiced elders, the top, thinker, thurifer,
   top brass, top people, traditionalist, tycoon, undersecretary,
   venerable, venerable sir, verger, vergeress, very important person,
   veteran, warden, wise man, wise old man, worthy, years

[6] : Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary

elder
   a name frequently used in the old testament as denoting a person
   clothed with authority, and entitled to respect and reverence
   gen. 50:7. it also denoted a political office num. 22:7. the
   "elders of israel" held a rank among the people indicative of
   authority. moses opened his commission to them ex. 3:16. they
   attended moses on all important occasions. seventy of them
   attended on him at the giving of the law ex. 24:1. seventy
   also were selected from the whole number to bear with moses the
   burden of the people num. 11:16, 17. the "elder" is the
   keystone of the social and political fabric wherever the
   patriarchal system exists. at the present day this is the case
   among the arabs, where the sheik i.e., "the old man" is the
   highest authority in the tribe. the body of the "elders" of
   israel were the representatives of the people from the very
   first, and were recognized as such by moses. all down through
   the history of the jews we find mention made of the elders as
   exercising authority among the people. they appear as governors
   deut. 31:28, as local magistrates 16:18, administering
   justice 19:12. they were men of extensive influence 1 sam.
   30:26-31. in new testament times they also appear taking an
   active part in public affairs matt. 16:21; 21:23; 26:59.
   
     the jewish eldership was transferred from the old dispensation
   to the new. "the creation of the office of elder is nowhere
   recorded in the new testament, as in the case of deacons and
   apostles, because the latter offices were created to meet new
   and special emergencies, while the former was transmitted from
   the earlies times. in other words, the office of elder was the
   only permanent essential office of the church under either
   dispensation."
   
     the "elders" of the new testament church were the "pastors"
   eph. 4:11, "bishops or overseers" acts 20:28, "leaders" and
   "rulers" heb. 13:7; 1 thess. 5:12 of the flock. everywhere in
   the new testament bishop and presbyter are titles given to one
   and the same officer of the christian church. he who is called
   presbyter or elder on account of his age or gravity is also
   called bishop or overseer with reference to the duty that lay
   upon him titus 1:5-7; acts 20:17-28; phil. 1:1.
   

Elder >> E Words
Elder, definition of term: Elder
elder_pag1.html

Elder Tree >> E Words
Elder Tree, definition of term: Elder Tree
elder+tree_pag1.html

Marsh Elder >> M Words
Marsh Elder, definition of term: Marsh Elder
marsh+elder_pag1.html

Box Elder >> B Words
Box Elder, definition of term: Box Elder
box+elder_pag1.html

Box Elder Count >> B Words
Box Elder Count, definition of term: Box Elder Count
box+elder+count_pag1.html