English word origin

Etymology of elden

From eld + -en (“to become”). Compare Middle English elden, ealdien (“to age, grow older”). More at eld.

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 ↗

verb

To advance in eld or old age; to grow older; to age.

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

From eld + -en (“to become”). Compare Middle English elden, ealdien (“to age, grow older”). More at eld.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Word-formation componentelden
Word-formation component-enen · to become
Cognate mentioneldenenm

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "eld",
        "3": "-en",
        "id2": "inchoative",
        "t2": "to become"
      },
      "expansion": "eld + -en (“to become”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "elden"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English elden"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "eld",
      "eld#English"
    ],
    [
      "-en",
      "-en#English:_inchoative"
    ],
    [
      "elden",
      "elden#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ealdien",
      "ealdien#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "eld",
      "eld#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To advance in eld or old age; to grow older; to age."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "c14736704747258bf0d6ff8118f41ca0addc2ab879b29d8af7a9c8d71c45776c",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d5e511a45604cd9cb192831f96f9b99c74ac5ae2c0f744c2767e1b9e3820924f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1588323
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

adj

Rare form of olden.

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

Etymology tree English eld Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos Proto-Germanic *-īnaz Proto-West Germanic *-īn Old English -en Middle English -en English -en English elden From eld + -en (“pertaining to”).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "eld",
        "4": "-en<t:pertaining to><id:made of>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish eld\nProto-Indo-European *-nós\nProto-Indo-European *-iHnos\nProto-Germanic *-īnaz\nProto-West Germanic *-īn\nOld English -en\nMiddle English -en\nEnglish -en\nEnglish elden\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-īnaz\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-īn\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-en\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-en\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-en\", \"gloss\" : \"pertaining to\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"elden\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"elden\">\nFrom eld + -en (“pertaining to”)."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "eld",
        "4": "-en<t:pertaining to><id:made of>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish eld\nProto-Indo-European *-nós\nProto-Indo-European *-iHnos\nProto-Germanic *-īnaz\nProto-West Germanic *-īn\nOld English -en\nMiddle English -en\nEnglish -en\nEnglish elden\nFrom eld + -en (“pertaining to”)."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "eld",
      "eld#English"
    ],
    [
      "*-nós",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-nós#Proto-Indo-European:_verbal_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "*-iHnos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-iHnos"
    ],
    [
      "*-īnaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-īnaz#Proto-Germanic:_adjectival"
    ],
    [
      "*-īn",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/-īn#Proto-West_Germanic:_adjective"
    ],
    [
      "-en",
      "-en#Old_English:_adjectival"
    ],
    [
      "-en",
      "-en#Middle_English:_adjectival"
    ],
    [
      "-en",
      "-en#English:_made_of"
    ],
    [
      "eld",
      "eld#English"
    ],
    [
      "-en",
      "-en#English:_made_of"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Rare form of olden."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "form-of",
        "not-comparable",
        "rare"
      ],
      "recordId": "a8687ea5b728f0f3d9c6f8b4575c03e3aac58bccc4d7d26d463e3cc1586b52e4",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d318a3285305c5c6b246a7f182ca4288a47d290e496d86f22b4764ce452d5ad1",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1588324
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 elden →

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-ZWxkZW4