When do you use "eldest" and when "oldest," or is there no difference?

Answer 1

1) contra the first answer: "eldest" can be used ONLY of people, but "oldest" can be used for anything (people, animals, things)
2) "eldest" may be used to emphasize rank or seniority ("oldest" does not do this), and need not be emphasizing age
3) "eldest" is used in comparing a group ("my eldest son"/"the eldest of my three sons"), but "oldest" can be used in a more absolute sense ("the oldest man alive")

For what it's worth.. on why we even have TWO forms: the words elder/older and eldest/oldest are from the same root word, but "eld-" follows a pattern common in Germanic languages, where when a suffix with an i-type vowel is added, the vowel in the preceding syllable changes to an e or i to become more like it. (The same sort of change, called "i-umlaut" is easy to see in German "alt" > "aelter/aeltest"; it also explains a whole set of irregular plurals in English, such as geese, mice, men and the archaic 'brehthren'.)

Thus "older/oldest" is, originally, simply a more modernized (younger!) form of "elder/eldest". But as often happens when two forms mean the same thing, one or both of them start to take on specialized uses.


http://www.thefreedictionary.com/eldest
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/elder

Answer 2

Eldest Vs Oldest

Answer 3

There is no real semantic difference between the two, but by common convention, "eldest" is used strictly with respect to people, "oldest" can be used in reference to any object including people.

Answer 4

Eldest is usually used when referring to people, where as oldest should be used when talking about an object, not a person.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

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RE:
When do you use "eldest" and when "oldest," or is there no difference?

Answer 7

eldest refer to family members, oldest referes to any organisation

Answer 8

Individual preference.

Answer 9

oldest is plural or one

Answer 10

no difference