Where does “older” come from?
older (Middle Low German) comes from Old Saxon aldar, from Old Norse aldr, from Proto-Germanic aldrą, from Proto-Indo-European h₂él-.
Ancestry of “older”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Saxon | aldar | life; age, old age, eld |
| 2 | Old Norse | aldr | age |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | aldrą | life; lifetime, age |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂él- | — |
Words derived from “older”