Let not old age disgrace my high desire. --Sir P.
Sidney.
The melancholy news that we grow old. --Young.
2. Not new or fresh; not recently made or produced; having
existed for a long time; as, old wine; an old friendship.
``An old acquaintance.'' --Camden.
3. Formerly existing; ancient; not modern; preceding;
original; as, an old law; an old custom; an old promise.
``The old schools of Greece.'' --Milton. ``The character
of the old Ligurians.'' --Addison.
4. Continued in life; advanced in the course of existence;
having (a certain) length of existence; -- designating the
age of a person or thing; as, an infant a few hours old; a
cathedral centuries old.
And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou?
--Cen. xlvii.
8.
Note: In this use old regularly follows the noun that
designates the age; as, she was eight years old.
5. Long practiced; hence, skilled; experienced; cunning; as,
an old offender; old in vice.
Vane, young in years, but in sage counsel old.
--Milton.
6. Long cultivated; as, an old farm; old land, as opposed to
{new} land, that is, to land lately cleared.
7. Worn out; weakened or exhausted by use; past usefulness;
as, old shoes; old clothes.
8. More than enough; abundant. [Obs.]
If a man were porter of hell gate, he should have
old turning the key. --Shak.
9. Aged; antiquated; hence, wanting in the mental vigor or
other qualities belonging to youth; -- used disparagingly
as a term of reproach.
10. Old-fashioned; wonted; customary; as of old; as, the good
old times; hence, colloquially, gay; jolly.
11. Used colloquially as a term of cordiality and
familiarity. ``Go thy ways, old lad.'' --Shak.
{Old age}, advanced years; the latter period of life.
{Old bachelor}. See {Bachelor}, 1.
{Old Catholics}. See under {Catholic}.
{Old English}. See under {English}. n., 2.
{Old Nick}, {Old Scratch}, the devil.
{Old lady} (Zo["o]l.), a large European noctuid moth ({Mormo
maura}).
{Old maid}.
(a) A woman, somewhat advanced in years, who has never
been married; a spinster.
(b) (Bot.) A West Indian name for the pink-flowered
periwinkle ({Vinca rosea}).
(c) A simple game of cards, played by matching them. The
person with whom the odd card is left is the old
maid.
{Old man's beard}. (Bot.)
(a) The traveler's joy ({Clematis Vitalba}). So named
from the abundant long feathery awns of its fruit.
(b) The {Tillandsia usneoides}. See {Tillandsia}.
{Old man's head} (Bot.), a columnar cactus ({Pilocereus
senilis}), native of Mexico, covered towards the top with
long white hairs.
{Old red sandstone} (Geol.), a series of red sandstone rocks
situated below the rocks of the Carboniferous age and
comprising various strata of siliceous sandstones and
conglomerates. See {Sandstone}, and the Chart of
{Geology}.
{Old school}, a school or party belonging to a former time,
or preserving the character, manner, or opinions of a
former time; as, a gentleman of the old school; -- used
also adjectively; as, Old-School Presbyterians.
{Old sledge}, an old and well-known game of cards, called
also {all fours}, and {high, low, Jack, and the game}.
{Old squaw} (Zo["o]l.), a duck ({Clangula hyemalis})
inhabiting the northern parts of both hemispheres. The
adult male is varied with black and white and is
remarkable for the length of its tail. Called also
{longtailed duck}, {south southerly}, {callow}, {hareld},
and {old wife}.
{Old style}. (Chron.) See the Note under {Style}.
{Old Testament}. See under {Testament}.
{Old wife}. [In the senses
b and
c written also {oldwife}.]
(a) A prating old woman; a gossip.
Refuse profane and old wives' fables. --1 Tim.
iv. 7.
(b) (Zo["o]l.) The local name of various fishes, as the
European black sea bream ({Cantharus lineatus}), the
American alewife, etc.
(c) (Zo["o]l.) A duck; the old squaw.
{Old World}, the Eastern Hemisphere.
Syn: Aged; ancient; pristine; primitive; antique; antiquated;
old-fashioned; obsolete. See {Ancient}.