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AULD

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 10:23 am
by Dr. Goodword

• auld •

Pronunciation: awld • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: (Scots English) Old.

Notes: In most English-speaking regions December 31 is celebrated as New Year's Eve. The celebration was previously known as Old Year's Night, which continues in English-speaking Guyana and some other areas of the Caribbean.

In Play: Many English speakers around the world sang the very popular Scottish song, Auld Lang Syne "Old Long Since" at midnight Old or New Year's Eve. This includes those living in Auld Reekie "Old Smoky", a sobriquet of Edinburgh, Scotland, and elsewhere in the Auld Warld. No doubt it was heard around the New World as well in the wee hours this morning.

Word History: The Proto-Indo-European root al- meant "grow, nourish" and with the suffix -to (al-to), it meant "grown", which went on to become Old English eald. Over time the Old English word came to be auld in Scots English and old in Modern English. With the suffix -m, it turned up in Latin almus "nourishing", the feminine of which is the alma in alma mater "the nourishing mother" = a school from which you graduate. Alumnus and alumna are based on the same root; they mean "student, pupil" in Latin, from alere "to nourish".

Re: AULD

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 11:11 am
by MTC
Quite an improvement over "Hogmanay," if not actual redemption.

Thanks to Dr. Goodword for tracing the nurturing root of auld, alma, alumna, and alere to PIE "al." This well-fed family of words also includes aliment, alimentary, and alimony, among others.

Re: AULD

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 1:41 pm
by LukeJavan8
What does the "al" mean, which precedes so many
Arabic words???

Re: AULD

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 2:01 pm
by Perry Lassiter
Al is the Arabic definite article, the.

Re: AULD

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 2:13 pm
by LukeJavan8
thanks

Re: AULD

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 7:57 pm
by bamaboy56
Happy New Year to one and all! (from an auld guy)

Re: AULD

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 1:25 pm
by LukeJavan8
A happy and blessed 2013 from me too, to everyone.