Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - old

 I. adjective  Etymology: Middle English, from Old English eald; akin to Old High German alt ~, Latin alere to nourish, alescere to grow, altus high, deep  Date: before 12th century  1.  a. dating from the remote past ; ancient ~ traditions  b. persisting from an earlier time an ~ ailment they brought up the same ~ argument  c. of long standing an ~ friend  2.  a. distinguished from an object of the same kind by being of an earlier date many still used the ~ name  b. capitalized belonging to an early period in the development of a language or literature Old Persian  3. having existed for a specified period of time a child three years ~  4. of, relating to, or originating in a past era ~ chronicles record the event  5.  a. advanced in years or age an ~ person  b. showing the characteristics of age looked ~ at 20  6. experienced an ~ trooper speaking of the last war  7. former his ~ students  8.  a. showing the effects of time or use ; worn, aged ~ shoes  b. no longer in use ; discarded ~ rags  c. of a grayish or dusty color ~ mauve  d. tiresome gets ~ fast  9.  a. long familiar same ~ story good ~ Joe  b. — used as an intensive a high ~ time  c. — used to express an attitude of affection or amusement a big ~ dog flex the ~ biceps any ~ time Synonyms:  ~, ancient, venerable, antique, antiquated, archaic, obsolete mean having come into existence or use in the more or less distant past. ~ may apply to either actual or merely relative length of existence ~ houses an ~ sweater of mine. ancient applies to occurrence, existence, or use in or survival from the distant past ancient accounts of dragons. venerable stresses the impressiveness and dignity of great age the family's venerable patriarch. antique applies to what has come down from a former or ancient time collected antique Chippendale furniture. antiquated implies being discredited or outmoded or otherwise inappropriate to the present time antiquated teaching methods. archaic implies having the character or characteristics of a much earlier time the play used archaic language to convey a sense of period. obsolete may apply to something regarded as no longer acceptable or useful even though it is still in existence a computer that makes earlier models obsolete.  II. noun  Date: 13th century  1. one of a specified age — usually used in combination a 3-year-~  2. ~ or earlier time — used in the phrase of ~ the cavalry of ~