old Copy link Outline I. Of persons or other living beings1. sĕnex, is; compar. sĕnior; no superl. (in posit., usu. as subs. = an old man; or as predicative adj.; less freq. as attributive, but only to masculine subss.2. in compar. and superl., mājor, maxĭmus; with or without natu (denoting relative age, of persons only; Eng., elder, eldest3. to expr. the exact age of a man or woman4. annōsus (full of years5. vĕtŭlus (somewhat old, getting o.; usu. a term of disparagement6. grandaevus (of great age; a term of dignity)II. Not new1. vĕtus, ĕris2. vĕtustus (esp. having the marks of age upon it)3. obsŏlētus (old and worn out)III. Belonging to former days1. antīquus2. priscus (belonging to early times)3. vĕtus (of that which, though ancient, still subsists or has force) • old: I. Of persons or other living beings: 1. sĕnex, is; compar. sĕnior; no superl. (in posit., usu. as subs. = an old man; or as predicative adj.; less freq. as attributive, but only to masculine subss.: compar. used both as masc. and fem. adj.): no one is so o. as not to think ..., nemo est tam senex qui non putet, Cic. Sen. 7, 24: the and the young, senes ac juvenes, Hor. Od. 1, 28, 19: somewhat o., senior, id. S. 2, 5, 107: an older (more matured) style, senior, ut ita dicam, oratio, Cic. Br. 43, 160. (N.B.--Only by a figure of speech applied to other subss. than those denoting persons: such exprr. as senes porci, senes cygni, belonging to figurative or facetious diction: cf. Juv. 6, 160. Mart. 5, 37, init.) 2. in compar. and superl., mājor, maxĭmus; with or without natu (denoting relative age, of persons only; Eng., elder, eldest: whereas senex, senior, can be used only of people actually old): Ennius was elder than Plautus, Ennius fuit major natu quam Plautus, Cic. Tusc. 1, 1, extr.: the elder of two sons, ex duobus filiis major, Caes. B. C. 3, 108: more than twenty years o., major annis viginti, Suet. Caes. 42: the eldest of Priam's daughters, maxima natarum Priami, Virg. Aen. 1, 654: also, maxima natu, ib. 5, 644. (N.B.--Also occur, magno natu [better than magnus natu], very old, Nep. Paus. 5: Liv. 2, 8; and maximo natu, eldest or oldest. Nep. Dat. 7, init. grandis natu, quite old, Cic. Sen. 4 10; and tantus natu, so old, Pl. Bac. 1, 2, 16: better, in prose, tam grandis natu.) 3. to expr. the exact age of a man or woman: nātus, with acc. of the number of years: almost ninety years o., annos prope XC. natus, Cic. Verr. 3, 25, 62: in combination with major: more than forty years o., annos natus major XL., Cic. R. Am. 14, 39: Nep.: Liv. 4. annōsus (full of years: rarely of persons: poet.): on o. crow, a. cornix, Hor. Od. 3, 17, 13: o. arms (branches of a tree), a. brachia, Virg. Aen. 6, 282: a very o. woman, a. anus, Ov. F. 2, 571. 5. vĕtŭlus (somewhat old, getting o.; usu. a term of disparagement: the adj. vetus, of which this is a dimin., is not used to denote age in persons or animals, cf. infr. II.): (a woman) quite o., and that has been more than once married, vetula et multarum nuptiarum, Cic. Att. 13, 29: horses that are getting o., v. equi, id. Am. 19, 67: Col.: Juv. (Vetus is however used of trees: Virg. E. 3, 12, ad veteres fagos.) 6. grandaevus (of great age; a term of dignity): Virg.: Ov.: v. aged. Phr.: to grow o., senescere, Cic. Sen. 11, extr.: also of animals, Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 8 (solve senescentem mature equum): Col.: and even of trees, Plin. 16, 27, 50: relating to o. people, senīlis: to have the sagacity of an o. man, senili esse prudentia, Cic. Div. 2, 23, 50: Hor.: Ov.: he lived to be nearly 100 years o., prope C. confecit annos, Cic. Or. 52, 176: when they are more than ten years o., quum excesserint annos decem, Col. 6, 21: Plin. (not so in Cic., who would prefer, amplius decem habere annos: cf. Caec. 19, 54; or [of persons only], majorem esse decem annis: v. supr. 2): he was so many years older than I, totidem annis mihi aetate praestabat, Cic. Br. 43, 161: also, to be older than any one, aliquem aetate antecedere, Just. 34, 3, med. (alicui aetate antecedere, Cic. Br. 21, 82 = to be chronologically earlier than another): to die when extremely o., provecta aetate mori, Cic. Tusc. 1, 39. fin.: o. and infirm, defectus annis et desertus viribus, Phaedr. 1, 21, 2; confectus senectute, Cic. Rab. perd. 7, 21: to become o. (reach old-age), senectutem adipisci, Cic. Sen. 2, 4. II. Not new: 1. vĕtus, ĕris: o. ships, v. naves, Caes. B. G. 5, 1: o. friendships, v. amicitiae, Cic. Am. 19, 67: an o. affront (not yet atoned for), v. contumelia, Caes. B. G. 1, 14: an o. poet, v. poeta, Ter. Andr. prol. 7. 2. vĕtustus (esp. having the marks of age upon it): o. sepulchres, v. sepulchra, Suet. Jul. 81: o. pitch, v. pix, Col. 12, 23, init.: eggs more than ten days o., ova vetustiora quam decem dierum, id. 8, 5: o. wines, v. vina, Plin. 14, 7, 9: an o. opinion (of long standing), v. opinio, Cic. Clu. 1, 4. 3. obsŏlētus (old and worn out): o. (shabby) clothes, vestis, vestitus obs., Liv. 27, 34, med.: Cic. Phr.: (good) o. wines, vina quae vetustatem ferunt, Cic. Am. 19, 67: to keep wine till it is o., vinum servare in vetustatem, Cato R. R. 114. III. Belonging to former days: 1. antīquus: v. ancient. Sometimes = "good old": men of the good o. stamp, homines antiqui. Cic. R. Am. 9, 26 cf. Ter. Ad. 3, 3, 88, homo antiqua virtute et fide (of the o. school of virtue and honour). 2. priscus (belonging to early times): the o. (early) race of men, p. gens mortalium, Hor. Epod. 2, 2: the o. original form of the constitution, p. illa et antiqua reipublicae forma, Vell. 2, 89: Cic. (For pristĭnus, v. olden.) 3. vĕtus (of that which, though ancient, still subsists or has force): v. ancient. Very o., pervetus: Segesta is a very o. town in Sicily, Segesta est oppidum pervetus in Sicilia, Cic. Verr. 4, 33, init.