Etymograph

English

aald

Aald comes from Middle English old ‘Elderly’, from Proto-West Germanic *ald ‘old’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- ‘to grow, nourish’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-1‘to grow, nourish’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*aldaz1‘grown-up’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*ald1‘old’reconstructed
  4. Anglian Old Englishmodernald1
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500old2as ald‘Elderly’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1905aald2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Middle English old
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English aald
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1905, Joseph Wright, The English Dialect Dictionary: “Aald, old. In common use in the Northumbrian and…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-Wiktionary, Middle English old‘to grow, nourish’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*aldazWiktionary, Middle English old‘grown-up’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*aldWiktionary, Middle English old‘old’reconstructed
  4. Anglian Old EnglishmodernaldWiktionary, Middle English old
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500oldWiktionary, English aaldas ald‘Elderly’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1905aaldWiktionary, English aald. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1905, Joseph Wright, The English Dialect Dictionary: “Aald, old. In common use in the Northumbrian and…”

The story

Preserved in Northern English and Geordie dialects as aald, reflecting older vowel pronunciation and regional phonology.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- ‘to grow, nourish’

as, all, else, adult, el, ultimate, element, ultra, ellen, alien, alternate, outrage, qualification, alter, altitude, alumni, adolescent, abolish, altar, alt, alpine, alias, alto, proletariat, ulterior, retaliate, alum, alimony, alibi, altruism, parallax, alp, coalesce, foetal, altimeter, althea, exalt, eld, withal, 62 more

through Proto-Germanic *aldaz ‘grown-up’

elder, 1 more

through Proto-West Germanic *ald ‘old’

ou, auld, 1 more

through Middle English old ‘Elderly’

old, aad

Today it means

adj old.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “aald”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Middle English old. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- / aald

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