Word
auld
/ˈɔɫd/
Definition
adj. a word for old, used mostly in Scotland and Ireland.
adj. A dialectal form of 'old' characteristic of Scots and Hiberno-English.
Examples
“The auld stone walls of the castle are very thick.”
“The villagers gathered to hear the auld tales of the land passed down through generations.”
“The auld traditions of the region remain deeply embedded in the local festivals, providing a vital link to the community's shared heritage.”
Examples
simple
“The auld stone walls of the castle are very thick.”
contextual
“The villagers gathered to hear the auld tales of the land passed down through generations.”
complex
“The auld traditions of the region remain deeply embedded in the local festivals, providing a vital link to the community's shared heritage.”
Usage
Commonly found in fixed phrases like 'Auld Lang Syne' or 'auld enemy'.
Teaching tip
Most learners will only encounter this in the song 'Auld Lang Syne'; it is not used in standard British or American English.
Etymology
From Scots auld or from Northern Middle English auld, aulde, awld, awlde, ald, alde, from Northumbrian Old English ald, variant of Old English eald (“old, mature, venerable; antique, ancient, primeval”), from Proto-West Germanic ald, from Proto-Germanic aldaz (“grown up; old”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eltós (“grown, nourished, matured”). Compare cognate Latin altus (“nourished, raised, grown; tall”). Doublet of old.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Idioms
auld lang syne — Days gone by; former times.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/auld