*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of olds

From old + -s; compare old folks, old man.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary 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

One's parents. · Anyone portrayed in the context as not young; for example, anyone older than the speaker's audience of coevals; often, middle-aged adults or older adults.

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

From old + -s; compare old folks, old man.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "suffix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "old",
        "3": "s"
      },
      "expansion": "old + -s"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "old",
      "old#English"
    ],
    [
      "-s",
      "-s#English"
    ],
    [
      "old folks",
      "old folks#English"
    ],
    [
      "old man",
      "old man#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "One's parents.",
        "Anyone portrayed in the context as not young; for example, anyone older than the speaker's audience of coevals; often, middle-aged adults or older adults."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "plural",
        "plural-normally",
        "slang",
        "humorous",
        "often"
      ],
      "recordId": "34c043767c6608acdd769844760e664050f86668070709e9edf0dbb2cd7c3fdf",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c74bd62adc7ba8f071397fb8c63ffd99cee426fb90296c065ff2e5acdf4f3489",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 5102296
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Information that is no longer new.

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

Coined as a humorous opposite to news.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "news",
      "news#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Information that is no longer new."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "humorous",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "c8031701be2cfed86a53b478cf0882ef1152cb095b61bfcd22742895adc268c5",
      "rawRecordSha256": "3c21f793b7a37f5d7787b1a8139d510d40eb507eeb2ffb56c05b8f3a3a140355",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 5102297
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "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 olds →

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-b2xkcw