- (a.) A clergyman authorized to administer all the sacraments; as, a traveling elder.
- (a.) An aged person; one who lived at an earlier period; a predecessor.
- (a.) One who is older; a superior in age; a senior.
- (a.) Older; more aged or existing longer.
- (a.) 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.
- (a.) 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.
- (n.) A genus of shrubs (Sambucus) having broad umbels of white flowers, and small black or red berries.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). elder. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/elder/definitions/2002031 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "elder" http://smartdefine.org/elder/definitions/2002031 (accessed September 22, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, elder, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/elder/definitions/2002031>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "elder" 27 May 2011. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/elder/definitions/2002031> |