eld I. noun (-s) Etymology: Middle English elde, from Old English yldo, eldo, ældo; akin to Old High German altī, eltī old age, eld, Old Norse elli; derivative from the root of English old 1. a.dialect Britain: period of life : age b.archaic: old age 2.archaic: old times : antiquity < a spirit of immemorial eld pervades this tavern — Norman Douglas > 3.archaic: an old person II. abbreviation eldest