*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of alder

Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *aluʀu Old English alor Middle English aldre English alder Inherited from Middle English aldre, alder, aller, from Old English alor, from Proto-West Germanic *aluʀu, from Proto-Germanic

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

Any of several trees or shrubs of the genus Alnus, belonging to the birch family.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *aluʀu Old English alor Middle English aldre English alder Inherited from Middle English aldre, alder, aller, from Old English alor, from Proto-West Germanic *aluʀu, from Proto-Germanic *aluz, *alusō, *alizō, *alisō.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:aldre",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-West Germanic *aluʀu\nOld English alor\nMiddle English aldre\nEnglish alder\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"alor\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"aldre\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"alder\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"alder\">"
    },
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        "1": "",
        "2": "i",
        "3": "I"
      },
      "expansion": "I"
    },
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      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "Inherited"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "aldre",
        "4": "",
        "5": "",
        "lit": "",
        "pos": "",
        "tr": "",
        "ts": "",
        "id": "",
        "sc": "",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "nocat": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English aldre"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "aldre"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited from Middle English aldre"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "alor"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English alor"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*aliʀu",
        "4": "*aluʀu"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *aluʀu"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*aluz, *alusō, *alizō, *alisō"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *aluz, *alusō, *alizō, *alisō"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:aldre",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-West Germanic *aluʀu\nOld English alor\nMiddle English aldre\nEnglish alder"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*aluʀu",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/aluʀu"
    ],
    [
      "alor",
      "alor#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "aldre",
      "aldre#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "aldre",
      "aldre#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "alder",
      "alder#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "aller",
      "aller#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "alor",
      "alor#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*aluʀu",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/aliʀu"
    ],
    [
      "*aluz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/aluz"
    ],
    [
      "*alusō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/alusō"
    ],
    [
      "*alizō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/alizō"
    ],
    [
      "*alisō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/alisō"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Any of several trees or shrubs of the genus Alnus, belonging to the birch family."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "ebdc89799e61f38c21d39b973c2153fcd920a10c4e7b00a97e1bf8e0346ec42b",
      "rawRecordSha256": "247f8500f96f7b1cf99d8f1618be297d02930db498576d849cfd5963b5ed5692",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 227691
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

An alderman or alderwoman.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of alderman.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "alderman"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of alderman"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "alderman",
      "alderman#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An alderman or alderwoman."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "cfa1beb59025993e97501f17bd6e6cc03f573c725f17927c2304e6bcc93fd478",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c5e4efdf77e158570fabebd5eb83340db45323e2d63a6b39102dc48240acc3e5",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 227692
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for alder →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YWxkZXI