AGE


Meaning of AGE in English

I. ˈāj noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French aage, age, from Vulgar Latin * aetaticum, from Latin aetat-, aetas, from aevum lifetime — more at aye

Date: 13th century

1.

a. : the time of life at which some particular qualification, power, or capacity arises or rests

the voting age is 18

specifically : majority

b. : one of the stages of life

c. : the length of an existence extending from the beginning to any given time

a boy 10 years of age

d. : lifetime

e. : an advanced stage of life

2. : a period of time dominated by a central figure or prominent feature

the age of Pericles

as

a. : a period in history or human progress

the age of reptiles

the age of exploration

b. : a cultural period marked by the prominence of a particular item

entering the atomic age

c. : a division of geologic time that is usually shorter than an epoch

3.

a. : the period contemporary with a person's lifetime or with his or her active life

b. : a long time — usually used in plural

haven't seen him in age s

c. : generation

4. : an individual's development measured in terms of the years requisite for like development of an average individual

Synonyms: see period

II. verb

( aged ; ag·ing or age·ing )

Date: 14th century

intransitive verb

1. : to become old : show the effects or the characteristics of increasing age

2. : to acquire a desirable quality (as mellowness or ripeness) by standing undisturbed for some time

letting cheese age

transitive verb

1. : to cause to become old

2. : to bring to a state fit for use or to maturity

• ag·er ˈā-jər noun

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.