Search

having lived or existed long; of advanced ; old:
an aged man; an aged tree.
pertaining to or characteristic of :
aged wrinkles.
of the of:
a man aged 40 years.
brought to maturity or mellowness, as wine, cheese, or wood:
aged whiskey.
Physical Geography. old; approaching the state of peneplain.
(used with a plural verb) old people collectively (usually preceded by the):
We must have improved medical care for the aged.
the length of time during which a being or thing has existed; length of life or existence to the time spoken of or referred to:
trees of unknown age; His age is 20 years.
a period of human life, measured by years from birth, usually marked by a certain stage or degree of mental or physical development and involving legal responsibility and capacity:
the age of discretion; the age of consent; The state raised the drinking age from 18 to 21 years.
the particular period of life at which a person becomes naturally or conventionally qualified or disqualified for anything:
He was over age for military duty.
one of the periods or stages of human life:
a person of middle age.
advanced years; old age:
His eyes were dim with age.
a particular period of history, as distinguished from others; a historical epoch:
the age of Pericles; the Stone Age; the age of electronic communications.
the period of history contemporary with the span of an individual’s life:
He was the most famous architect of the age.
a generation or a series of generations:
ages yet unborn.
a great length of time:
I haven’t seen you for an age. He’s been gone for ages.
the average life expectancy of an individual or of the individuals of a class or species:
The age of a horse is from 25 to 30 years.
Psychology. the level of mental, emotional, or educational development of a person, especially a child, as determined by various tests and based on a comparison of the individual’s score with the average score for persons of the same chronological age.
Geology.

a period of the history of the earth distinguished by some special feature:
the Ice Age.
a unit of geological time, shorter than an epoch, during which the rocks comprising a stage were formed.

any of the successive periods in human history divided, according to Hesiod, into the golden, silver, bronze, heroic, and iron ages.
Cards.

Poker. the first player at the dealer’s left.
Compare (def 10a).
.

to grow old:
He is aging rapidly.
to mature, as wine, cheese, or wood:
a heavy port that ages slowly.
to make old; cause to grow or seem old:
Fear aged him overnight.
to bring to maturity or a state fit for use:
to age wine.
to store (a permanent magnet, a capacitor, or other similar device) so that its electrical or magnetic characteristics become constant.
to expose (a dye or dyed cloth) to steam or humid air in order to fix the dye.
to stabilize the electrical properties of (a device) by passing current through it.
of age, Law.

being any of several ages, usually 21 or 18, at which certain legal rights, as voting or marriage, are acquired.
being old enough for full legal rights and responsibilities.

Contemporary Examples

Like bourbon, rye must be aged in charred oak barrels for at least two years.
Why Rye Is The Nation’s Spirit, And Why No One Can Get It Kayleigh Kulp July 11, 2014

The very idea of erections among the aged is enough to make some laugh and others gag.
Hef’s Sexless Engagement Anneli Rufus July 27, 2011

She helped her aged mother on to an airbed to save her life.
Typhoon Haiyan: The Philippine Village that Lost Its Men The Telegraph November 16, 2013

Now, many of your films have aged really well, which I think is the true barometer for success.
Juliette Lewis on Hollywood, Why the MSM Hates Scientology, and Masturbating to George Clooney Marlow Stern September 18, 2014

All of the whisky used in both types of scotch must be matured in Scotland and aged for a minimum of three years in oak casks.
Don’t Be a Single-Malt Scotch Snob Kayleigh Kulp August 8, 2014

Historical Examples

This was her aged grandmother, who made her home with the family.
Heimatlos Johanna Spyri

He spake, and walking to that aged form, Look’d high defiance.
Endymion John Keats

A close carriage, with an aged coachman on the box, awaited them.
The Lost Lady of Lone E.D.E.N. Southworth

No matter how high may be their station, the aged and decrepit are counted a burden.
Folkways William Graham Sumner

The aged face, the sunken, toothless mouth are his distinguishing marks.
Representation of Deities of the Maya Manuscripts Paul Schellhas

adjective

advanced in years; old
(as collective noun; preceded by the): the aged

of, connected with, or characteristic of old age
(postpositive) (eɪdʒd). having the age of: a woman aged twenty
(geography) (not in technical use) having reached an advanced stage of erosion
noun
the period of time that a person, animal, or plant has lived or is expected to live: the age of a tree, what age was he when he died?, the age of a horse is up to thirty years
the period of existence of an object, material, group, etc: the age of this table is 200 years

a period or state of human life: he should know better at his age, she had got beyond the giggly age
(as modifier): age group

the latter part of life

a period of history marked by some feature or characteristic; era
(capital when part of a name): the Middle Ages, the Space Age

generation: the Edwardian age
(geology, palaeontol)

a period of the earth’s history distinguished by special characteristics: the age of reptiles
the period during which a stage of rock strata is formed; a subdivision of an epoch

(myth) any of the successive periods in the legendary history of man, which were, according to Hesiod, the golden, silver, bronze, heroic, and iron ages
(often pl) (informal) a relatively long time: she was an age washing her hair, I’ve been waiting ages
(psychol) the level in years that a person has reached in any area of development, such as mental or emotional, compared with the normal level for his chronological age See also achievement age, mental age
age before beauty, (often said humorously when yielding precedence) older people take precedence over younger people
of age, adult and legally responsible for one’s actions (usually at 18 or, formerly, 21 years)
verb ages, ageing, aging, aged
to grow or make old or apparently old; become or cause to become old or aged
to begin to seem older: to have aged a lot in the past year
(brewing) to mature or cause to mature
adj.

“having lived long,” mid-15c., past participle adjective from age (v.). Meaning “having been allowed to get old” (of cheese, etc.) is by 1873. Meaning “of the age of” is from 1630s. Aged Parent is from “Great Expectations” (1860-61).
n.

late 13c., “long but indefinite period in human history,” from Old French aage (11c., Modern French âge) “age; life, lifetime, lifespan; maturity,” earlier edage, from Vulgar Latin *aetaticum (source of Spanish edad, Italian eta, Portuguese idade “age”), from Latin aetatem (nominative aetas), “period of life, age, lifetime, years,” from aevum “lifetime, eternity, age,” from PIE root *aiw- “vital force, life, long life, eternity” (see eon). Meaning “time something has lived, particular length or stage of life” is from early 14c. Used especially for “old age” since early 14c. Expelled native eld.
v.

“to grow old,” late 14c., from age (n.). Meaning “to make old” is early 15c. Related: Aged; aging.

age (āj)
n.
The length of time that one has existed; duration of life. v.

To become old.

To manifest traits associated with old age.

acute gastroenteritis

used to denote the period of a man’s life (Gen. 47:28), the maturity of life (John 9:21), the latter end of life (Job 11:17), a generation of the human race (Job 8:8), and an indefinite period (Eph. 2:7; 3:5, 21; Col. 1:26). Respect to be shown to the aged (Lev. 19:32). It is a blessing to communities when they have old men among them (Isa. 65:20; Zech. 8:4). The aged supposed to excel in understanding (Job 12:20; 15:10; 32:4, 9; 1 Kings 12:6, 8). A full age the reward of piety (Job 5:26; Gen. 15:15).

see:

act one’s age
coon’s age
golden age
in this day and age
of age
ripe old age
under age