*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of oldie

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *h₂eltós Proto-Germanic *aldaz Proto-West Germanic *ald Anglian Old English ald Middle English old English old Proto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij- Proto-West Germanic

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 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.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

Something or someone old. · A song or record from a previous era. · The genre of music composed of popular music from previous eras.

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

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *h₂eltós Proto-Germanic *aldaz Proto-West Germanic *ald Anglian Old English ald Middle English old English old Proto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij- Proto-West Germanic *-i, *-ī Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English -ie English oldie From old + -ie.

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": "old",
        "4": "-ie<id:diminutive>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂el-\nProto-Indo-European *h₂eltós\nProto-Germanic *aldaz\nProto-West Germanic *ald\nAnglian Old English ald\nMiddle English old\nEnglish old\nProto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij-\nProto-West Germanic *-i, *-ī\nOld English -iġ\nMiddle English -y\nEnglish -y\nEnglish -ie\nEnglish oldie\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*aldaz\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*ald\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Anglian Old English\", \"term\" : \"eald\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang-ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"old\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"old\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }, { \"id\" : \"diminutive\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"diminutive\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"diminutive\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"diminutive\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*-i, *-ī\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*-j-, *-ij-\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-j-\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-i\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-iġ\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-y\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-y\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-ie\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"oldie\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"oldie\">\nFrom old + -ie."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "old",
        "4": "-ie<id:diminutive>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂el-\nProto-Indo-European *h₂eltós\nProto-Germanic *aldaz\nProto-West Germanic *ald\nAnglian Old English ald\nMiddle English old\nEnglish old\nProto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij-\nProto-West Germanic *-i, *-ī\nOld English -iġ\nMiddle English -y\nEnglish -y\nEnglish -ie\nEnglish oldie\nFrom old + -ie."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*h₂el-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂el-#Proto-Indo-European:_grow"
    ],
    [
      "*aldaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/aldaz"
    ],
    [
      "*ald",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/ald"
    ],
    [
      "ald",
      "eald#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "old",
      "old#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "old",
      "old#English"
    ],
    [
      "*-j-, *-ij-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-j-"
    ],
    [
      "*-i, *-ī",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/-i"
    ],
    [
      "-iġ",
      "-ig#Old_English:_diminutive"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#Middle_English:_diminutive"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_diminutive"
    ],
    [
      "-ie",
      "-ie#English:_diminutive"
    ],
    [
      "old",
      "old#English"
    ],
    [
      "-ie",
      "-ie#English:_diminutive"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Something or someone old.",
        "A song or record from a previous era.",
        "The genre of music composed of popular music from previous eras."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal",
        "in-plural"
      ],
      "recordId": "0b6a71a4dcbefcf60fbb476e1674f7cb129bdabe160768a8cf28fbca14ea96c6",
      "rawRecordSha256": "94e93e1488bfbab2d95aafaadb5e5f48733f1a212a217ebb277726b04c28133a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 465590
    }
  ],
  "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 oldie →

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-b2xkaWU