oldとは

意味・読み方・使い方

語源

From Middle English old, ald, from 古期英語 ald, eald (“old, aged, ancient, antique, primeval”), from Proto-Germanic *aldaz (“grown-up”), originally a participle form, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eltós (“grown, tall, big”). Cognate with Scots auld (“old”), North Frisian ool, ual, uul (“old”), Saterland Frisian oold (“old”), West Frisian âld (“old”), Dutch oud (“old”), Low German old (“old”), German alt (“old”), Swedish äldre (“older, elder”), Icelandic eldri (“older, elder”), Latin altus (“high, tall, grown big, lofty”). Related to eld.

発音

• (英国発音) IPA^(key): /ˈəʊld/, /ˈɔʊld/, /ˈɒʊld/
• (米国発音) enPR: ōld, IPA^(key): /ˈoʊld/
• 韻: -əʊld

形容詞

old (comparative older または elder, superlative oldest または eldest)

an old building.

1. Of an object, concept, relationship, etc., having existed for a relatively long period of time.

   an old abandoned building;  an old friend

   • 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], OCLC 752825175:

     They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too.

   1. Of a living being, having lived for most of the expected years.

      a wrinkled old man

   2. Of a perishable item, having existed for most, or more than its shelf life.

      an old loaf of bread

2. Having been used and thus no longer new or unused.

   I find that an old toothbrush is good to clean the keyboard with.

3. Having existed or lived for the specified time.

   How old are they? She’s five years old and he's seven. We also have a young teen and a two-year-old child.

   My great-grandfather lived to be a hundred and one years old.

4. (heading) Of an earlier time.
   1. Former, previous.

      My new car is not as good as my old one.  a school reunion for Old Etonians

      • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 8, in The Celebrity:

        The humor of my proposition appealed more strongly to Miss Trevor than I had looked for, and from that time forward she became her old self again; for, even after she had conquered her love for the Celebrity, the mortification of having been jilted by him remained.

      • 1994, Michael Grumley, Life Drawing

        But over my old life, a new life had formed.

   2. That is no longer in existence.

      The footpath follows the route of an old railway line.

   3. Obsolete; out-of-date.

      That is the old way of doing things; now we do it this way.

   4. Familiar.
      • 1991, Stephen Fry, The Liar, p. 37:

        Adrian thought it worth while to try out his new slang. ‘I say, you fellows, here's a rum go. Old Biffo was jolly odd this morning. He gave me a lot of pi-jaw about slacking and then invited me to tea. No rotting! He did really.’

      When he got drunk and quarrelsome they just gave him the old heave-ho.

   5. (Britain) Being a graduate or alumnus of a school, especially a public school.
5. Tiresome after prolonged repetition.
   • 1995, MacUser, volume 11, MacUser Publications, page 147:

     Rik: But even great shtick can get old real fast: the dreaded Saturday Night Live syndrome.
     Jim: Randomness can help - many Living Books have characters that do different things each time you click on them.

   • 2000, Charles A. Siringo, A Texas Cowboy: or, Fifteen Years on the Hurricane Deck of a Spanish Pony, Penguin, →ISBN, page 100:

     John and I built a small stone house on the head of “Bonetta” Canyon and had a hog killing time all by ourselves. Hunting was our delight at first, until it became old.

   • 2008, Homer L. Hall, Logan H. Aimone, High School Journalism, The Rosen Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 171:

     The songs start to get old real fast, and it's easy to get bored after the third song.

   • 2012, Blossom, From Under a Bridge Ii, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, page 40:

     It was the same old thing every week, working and drinking, working and drinking. It became old and I got really sick of it.

   Your constant pestering is getting old.

6. Said of subdued colors, particularly reds, pinks and oranges, as if they had faded over time.
7. A grammatical intensifier, often used in describing something positive. (Mostly in idioms like good old, big old かつ little old, any old かつ some old.)

   We're having a good old time. My next car will be a big old SUV.  My wife makes the best little old apple pie in Texas.

8. (obsolete) Excessive, abundant.
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, Act 5 Scene 2:

     URSULA: Madam, you must come to your uncle. Yonder's old coil at home: it is proved, my Lady Hero hath been falsely accused, the prince and Claudio mightily abused;

同意語

• (having existed for a long period of time): ancient, long in the tooth; see also Thesaurus:old
• (having lived for many years): aged, ageing / aging, elderly, long in the tooth, on in years; see also Thesaurus:elderly
• (having existed または lived for the specified time): aged, of age
• (former): erstwhile, ex-, former, one-time, past; see also Thesaurus:former
• (out-of-date): antiquated, obsolete (of words), outdated; see also Thesaurus:obsolete

反意語

• (having existed for a long period of time): brand new, fresh, new
• (having lived for many years): young
• (former): current, latest, new

派生語

名詞

old (複数形 olds)

1. (with the, invariable 複数形 only) People who are old; old beings; the older generation, taken as a group.

   A civilised society should always look after the old in the community.

2. (slang) A person older than oneself, especially an adult in relation to a teenager.
3. (slang, most often 複数形) One's parents.

   I had to sneak out to meet my girlfriend and tell the olds I was going to the library.

アナグラム

• DLO, DOL, Dol, LDO, LOD, Lo'd, LoD, Lod, dol, lod