alder

¹

[ awl-der ]

noun

1. any shrub or tree belonging to the genus Alnus, of the birch family, growing in moist places in northern temperate or colder regions and having toothed, simple leaves and flowers in catkins.
2. any of various trees or shrubs resembling an alder.

Alder

²

[ ahl-der; German ahl-duhr ]

noun

1. Kurt [kurt, k, oo, r, t], 1902–58, German chemist: Nobel Prize 1950.

alder

/ ˈɔːldə /

noun

1. any N temperate betulaceous shrub or tree of the genus Alnus, having toothed leaves and conelike fruits. The bark is used in dyeing and tanning and the wood for bridges, etc because it resists underwater rot
2. any of several similar trees or shrubs

Word History and Origins

Origin of alder¹

before 900; Middle English alder, aller, Old English alor, al ( e ) r; cognate with Old Norse ǫlr, Middle Low German al ( l ) er < Germanic *álusṓ; akin to Middle High German alze < Germanic *alū́sō, Old High German elira, erila ( German Erle ) < Germanic *álisṓ, Middle Low German els ( e ) < Germanic *alísō, hence Germanic *álus, alísō; compare Polish olcha, Russian olʾkhá < Indo-European dialect *alisā; Lithuanian al̃ksnis, Latin alnus < Indo-European dialect *alsnos

Word History and Origins

Origin of alder¹

Old English alor; related to Old High German elira, Latin alnus

Example Sentences

The researchers looked at how long enveloped and nonenveloped viruses remained infectious on the surface of six types of wood: Scots pine, silver birch, gray alder, eucalyptus, pedunculate oak and Norway spruce.

From Science Daily

“If you feel like your body is rigid, cedar can help you soften. If you feel like you’re collapsed, Douglas fir or alder can help bring more strength and structure.”

From Seattle Times

Made of 100% alder wood, it’s painted blue and has a shelf to hold books, a potted plant or your helmet.

From Seattle Times

"We found increased shrub growth of a specific species called alder," said Welch, who works in the lab of Claudia Czimczik, professor of Earth system science.

From Science Daily

Hiking through the Wishbone area last summer, advocates noted cedar, hemlock, maple, cottonwood and alder trees, as well as huckleberries, gooseberries and devil’s club plants.

From Seattle Times