Eld"er (?), a. [AS. yldra,
compar. of eald old. See Old.] 1.
Older; more aged, or existing longer.
Let the elder men among us emulate their own
earlier deeds.
Jowett (Thucyd. )
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.
The elder shall serve the younger.
Gen. xxv. 23.
But ask of elder days, earth's vernal
hour.
Keble.
Elder hand (Card Playing), the hand
playing, or having the right to play, first. Hoyle.
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.
2. An aged person; one who lived at an
earlier period; a predecessor.
Carry your head as your elders have
done.
L'Estrange.
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.
&fist; 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.
4. (M. E. Ch.) A clergyman authorized
to administer all the sacraments; as, a traveling
elder.
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.
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.
&fist; 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.
Box elder. See under 1st Box. --
Dwarf elder. See Danewort. --
Elder tree. (Bot.) Same as
Elder. Shak. -- Marsh elder,
the cranberry tree Viburnum Opulus).
