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• 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.

• OLD

That has existed or lasted a long time, not new, etc., vetus (refers simply to the length of time, and denotes oldness sometimes as a commendation, sometimes as blame; opposed to novus, new, that has lately sprung up): vetustus (become old, refers to the advantage of age, and is said of that which has gained a good quality by age, that has grown stronger, more noble or excellent. The comparative vetustior is used also as comparative to vetus): vetulus (of persons, somewhat advanced in years, in the decline of life; implying disparagement): veteratus, more commonly inveteratus (inveterate, fast-rooted, e.g., veteratus ulcus; inveteratum malum; jam inveterata amicitia): antiquus: very old, perantiquus (that was or existed in by-gone times, also ancient; opposed to recens): (The words are found in this connection and order.) vetus et antiquus; priscus (very ancient, frequently with the notion of sacredness or venerable character. ☞ Cascus has the same signification, but is not found in classical prose). (The words are found in this connection and order.) priscus et vetustus; vetus et priscus; priscus et antiquus; pristinus (former): antiquo artificio factus, antiqui operis (of an old work of art): obsoletus (not new, worn out, gone out offashion). (The words are found in this connection and order.) antiquus et obsoletus; ruinosus (ready to fall, ruinous). Comparative, OLDER, ELDER, prior; superior; e.g., Dionysius the elder, Dionysius superior (Vid: Ochs., Cic., Ecl., p. 63): the oldest letter, anuquissima epistola: an old soldier, veteranus miles, or simply veteranus, miles exercitatus et vetus (opposed to tiro miles or miles rudis et inexercitatus): miles militia confectus or fractus (an invalid): an old poet, friend, poeta, amicus vetus: an old general, imperator vetus: an old family, genus antiquum: old custom or usage, mos majorum or superiorum: this is an old custom, mos hic a patribus acceptus: old institutions, vetera et prisca instituta: an old constitution (of state), prisca reipublicae forma: a man of the old stamp, priscae probitatis et fidei exemplar; homo antiqua virtute et fide; homo antiquis moribus: an old story, historia vetus et antiqua: the good old times, vetus or prior aetas: the old world, olden times, antiquitas, veteres, antiqui or prisci homines: old writers, veteres and (opposed to later writers) vetustiores scriptores: to put anything on its old footing, in pristinum restituere: to leave all things in their old state or condition, omnia integra servare: to grow old, vetustescere (of things which improve by age): veterascere, senescere (of things which spcil by age): inveterascere (to fall under the right of prescription, to become superannuated): inveterari (to become rooted or established). [Vid :, also, ANCIENT.]
Of a good age, especially of persons, grandis; grandior (in years, with or without natu): senex (an old man from sixty; with accessory notion of respect; never as a feminine): aetate gravis; pergrandis natu, exacts jam aetatis (very old): decrepitus, aetate or senio confectus (old and weak, decrepit): an old man, senex, homo aetate grandior: old fellow! mi vetule! (in pity or sorrow): old fool! stulte! silicernium (Terentianus, Andr., 4, 3, 34; a term of reproach; of an old man that bends over his staff, and as it were looks at the stones or pebbles in the road): like an old man, seniliter: an old woman, an old maid, vetula (rather implying contempt): anus, anicula (implying either respect or contempt): like an old woman, aniliter: the old, senes (opposed to pueri and adolescentes): parentes (opposed to liberi; also of birds).

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