eldest

Pluraleldests

1. 1
   adjective

   Superlative of old.

   The eldest daughter inherited the family estate.

   Among the cousins, he was the eldest by nearly a decade.

   Note

   A superlative that has narrowed with age. Old can describe a building, a language or milk past its date, but eldest settles on people and rank, where age and seniority go together. It is the family word, as in Elizabeth Withycombe's 1945 remark that the eldest son took his paternal grandfather's name. For things, use oldest. Eldest also stands alone as a noun for the firstborn.

2. 2
   noun

   The oldest child in a family, or the oldest member of a group.

   The eldest among them spoke first at the gathering.

   In many cultures, the eldest inherits the family home.

   Similarfirstborn

   Oppositeyoungest

3. 3
   adjective

   Designating the player who receives cards from the dealer first, before all other players.

   As the eldest, he received his cards before any other player at the table.

   The first card off the deck always goes to the eldest player.

   Note

   Here the word names a seat at the card table, not an age. Eldest belongs to whoever is dealt to first, so it says nothing about the player's years. In most trick-taking games that player also leads or bids first, and the position moves round the table with each new deal. Within a single hand it is fixed, but over a game everyone takes a turn at it.

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