From Middle English age, Old French aage, eage, edage, from an assumed Vulgar Latin *aetāticum, derived from Latin aetātem, itself derived from aevum (“lifetime”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyu- (“vital force”). Compare French âge. Displaced native Old English ieldu. The verb is from Middle English agen, from the noun. Originally found mostly as a participial adjective, probably an adjective in -ed, derived from the noun, reanalyzed to create a verb; perhaps modeled on such pairs as Latin senēscō (seneō; verb) / senex (adjective) and Middle French vieillir (verb) / vieil (adjective). Also compare Old French se aagier, eogier (“become of age”).
The amount of time that some being has been alive, or that some thing has been in existence, as measured from its birth or origin until the present or until some other given reference point. (Often measured in number of years; alternatively in months, days, hours, etc.; see also the usage notes)
"What is the age of your oldest child?" — "He's ten." (ten years old)
What were their ages at the time of their marriage?
4 more examples
We can determine the age of fossils using radiometric dating.
What is the present age of the earth?
I have a daughter your age, and I tell her when I was your age I was already working.
You should play with kids the same age as you.
2
The state of being old; the latter part of life.
Feel awfully about Scott... It was a terrible thing for him to love youth so much that he jumped straight from youth to senility without going through manhood. The minute he felt youth going he was frightened again and thought there was nothing between youth and age.1936 Feb. 15, Ernest Hemingway, letter to Maxwell Perkins
Wisdom doesn't necessarily come with age, sometimes age just shows up all by itself.
3
Any particular stage of life.
the age of infancy
4
The time of life at which some particular power or capacity is understood to become vested.
the age of consent; the age of discretion
5
Maturity; especially, the time of life at which one attains full personal rights and capacities.
to come of age; she is now of age
6
A particular period of time in history, as distinguished from others.
the golden age of cinema; the first age of colonialism; a bygone age
Encircling the marble altar was a congregation of leering shamen. Eerie chants of a bygone age, originating unknown eons before the memory of man, were being uttered from the buried recesses of the acolytes' deep lings ^([sic]).1970, Jim Theis, “The Eye of Argon”, in OSFAN, volume 10, Chapter 3½, page 33:
1 more example
The dawn of the oil age was fairly recent. Although the stuff was used to waterproof boats in the Middle East 6,000 years ago, extracting it in earnest began only in 1859 after an oil strike in Pennsylvania. The first barrels of crude fetched $18 (around $450 at today’s prices). It was used to make kerosene, the main fuel for artificial lighting after overfishing led to a shortage of whale blubber.2013 August 3, “Yesterday’s fuel: The world’s thirst for oil could be nearing a peak. That is bad news for producers, excellent for everyone else.”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8847, archived from the original on 01 Aug 2013:
7
The time or era in history when someone or something was alive or flourished.
the age of Pericles; the age of the dinosaurs
8
A great period in the history of the Earth.
The Bronze Age was followed by the Iron Age.
9
Geography, Geology, Natural sciences The shortest geochronologic unit, being a period of thousands to millions of years; a subdivision of an epoch (or sometimes a subepoch).
The Tithonian Age was the last in the Late Jurassic Epoch.
10
Astrology, Human sciences, Mysticism, Philosophy, Sciences One of the twelve divisions of a Great Year, equal to roughly 2000 years and governed by one of the zodiacal signs; a Platonic month.
Mr Lewis says we are living in the age of Aquarius, which means that the world is at present passing through the zodiacal sign of Aquarius, the airy constellation.1911 April 10, The Evening News, Sydney, page 8, column 2:
Lifespan, lifetime; the total time that some being is alive from birth to death (or some category of beings, on average).
The age of man is three score years and ten.
Thrice the age of a dog is that of a horse.
2 more examples
Done at London, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety-five, in the fifty-eighth year of my age.
The CHAIRMAN said if Lord Bacon had asserted that man's age exceeded that of all other living creatures, he must have included the patriarchs in his calculation. Without doubt the age of many animals exceeded that of man. [...] Indeed, if the assumed age of the patriarchs be correct, it is against our own experience, it being an admitted fact that the duration of human life has increased. The age of the patriarchs was by some attributed to the effect of certain waters upon the cartilages.1872, George Duncan Gibb, The Physical Condition of Centenarians, as Derived from Personal Observation in Nine Genuine Examples, London, page 13:
15
Card games, Poker The entitlement of the player to the left of the dealer to pass the first round in betting, and then to come in last or stay out; also, the player holding this position; the eldest hand.
From Middle English age, Old French aage, eage, edage, from an assumed Vulgar Latin *aetāticum, derived from Latin aetātem, itself derived from aevum (“lifetime”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyu- (“vital force”). Compare French âge. Displaced native Old English ieldu. The verb is from Middle English agen, from the noun. Originally found mostly as a participial adjective, probably an adjective in -ed, derived from the noun, reanalyzed to create a verb; perhaps modeled on such pairs as Latin senēscō (seneō; verb) / senex (adjective) and Middle French vieillir (verb) / vieil (adjective). Also compare Old French se aagier, eogier (“become of age”).
To grow aged; to become old or older; to show marks of age.
He grew fat as he aged.
I am aging; that is, I have a whitish, or rather a light-coloured, hair here and there. Sober thinking brings them1824, Walter Savage Landor, Imaginary Conversations:
3 more examples
However, if you have the misfortune of being a child actor born on the show, watch out. […] The point is these kids age quickly.1998, Joe Malarkey, “Soap Operas”, in It’s Not the Fall That Kills You: Laughing All the Way to That Sudden Stop at the End, Latent Print, →ISBN, pages 123–124:
As we age, the major arteries of our bodies frequently become thickened with plaque, a fatty material with an oatmeal-like consistency that builds up along the inner lining of blood vessels. The reason plaque forms isn’t entirely known, but it seems to be related to high levels of cholesterol inducing an inflammatory response, which can also attract and trap more cellular debris over time.2013 July–August, Stephen P. Lownie, David M. Pelz, “Stents to Prevent Stroke”, in American Scientist:
“Most of the scribes here came after the Rending. Many of them stopped casting the spells that prolong their life, so they are aging. More slowly than humans, but still aging.” / “How old are you?” / “Biologically?” He smiled. “Around thirty. But I’ve lived for over four hundred years.”2013 October 12, Elizabeth Hunter, chapter 9, in The Scribe (Irin Chronicles; 1), Recurve Press, →ISBN:
2
Usually, Of a statement To suffer the passage of time so as to later be viewed or turn out in a certain way.
His prediction that we didn't stand a chance hasn't aged well, now that we've won the cup.
The sitcom was made in the 1970s and its casual sexism has not aged well.
3
To cause to grow old; to impart the characteristics of age to.
Grief ages us.
To look at the hair by itself you'd say it was actually quite pretty, but on her head the gray sure ages her.1998 Fall, Mare Freed, “Aluhana”, in The Antioch Review, volume 56, number 4:
4
To allow to mature.
We age the whiskey for five years.
5
To treat or tamper with in order to give a false appearance of age.
This clock is modern, but it has been deliberately aged in an attempt to make it seem antique.
6
To determine the age of (the length of time that something has been alive or in existence).
There are several ways to age trees.
7
To indicate or reveal that (a person) has been alive for a certain period of time, especially a long one.
I clearly remember hearing the news of Kennedy's assassination. That ages me.
Mr. [David] Brinkley started out with network news. We got our news- I think it was the Huntley-Brinkley Report. I'm probably aging myself now, okay?1992 June 14, This Week with David Brinkley (television production), spoken by [James?] Carville, via ABC:
8
Figuratively To allow (something) to persist by postponing an action that would extinguish it, as a debt.
Money's a little tight right now. Let's age our bills for a week or so.