[ 'si:nɪə , 'si:njə ]
■ adjective
1》 for or denoting older people.
↘ Brit. for or denoting schoolchildren above a certain age, typically eleven.
↘ US of the final year at a university or high school.
2》 [ postposition ] denoting the elder of two with the same name in a family.
3》 high or higher in rank or status.
■ noun
1》 a person who is a specified number of years older than someone else: she was two years his ~.
2》 a student in one of the higher forms of a ~ school.
3》 (in sport) a competitor of above a certain age or of the highest status.
4》 an elderly person, especially an old-age pensioner.
Derivatives
~ity noun
Origin
ME: from L., lit. 'older, older man', compar. of senex , sen- 'old man, old'.