age
    n 1: how long something has existed; "it was replaced because of
         its age"
    2: an era of history having some distinctive feature; "we live
       in a litigious age" [syn: historic period, age]
    3: a time of life (usually defined in years) at which some
       particular qualification or power arises; "she was now of
       school age"; "tall for his eld" [syn: age, eld]
    4: a prolonged period of time; "we've known each other for
       ages"; "I haven't been there for years and years" [syn: long
       time, age, years]
    5: a late time of life; "old age is not for sissies"; "he's
       showing his years"; "age hasn't slowed him down at all"; "a
       beard white with eld"; "on the brink of geezerhood" [syn:
       old age, years, age, eld, geezerhood]
    v 1: begin to seem older; get older; "The death of his wife
         caused him to age fast"
    2: grow old or older; "She aged gracefully"; "we age every day--
       what a depressing thought!"; "Young men senesce" [syn:
       senesce, age, get on, mature, maturate]
    3: make older; "The death of his child aged him tremendously"
       [ant: rejuvenate]

Age \Age\ ([=a]j), n. [OF. aage, eage, F. [^a]ge, fr. L. aetas
   through a supposed LL. aetaticum. L. aetas is contracted fr.
   aevitas, fr. aevum lifetime, age; akin to E. aye ever. Cf.
   Each.]
   1. The whole duration of a being, whether animal, vegetable,
      or other kind; lifetime.
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            Mine age is as nothing before thee.   --Ps. xxxix.
                                                  5.
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   2. That part of the duration of a being or a thing which is
      between its beginning and any given time; as, what is the
      present age of a man, or of the earth?
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   3. The latter part of life; an advanced period of life;
      seniority; state of being old.
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            Nor wrong mine age with this indignity. --Shak.
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   4. One of the stages of life; as, the age of infancy, of
      youth, etc. --Shak.
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   5. Mature age; especially, the time of life at which one
      attains full personal rights and capacities; as, to come
      of age; he (or she) is of age. --Abbott.

   Note: In the United States, both males and females are of age
         when twenty-one years old. Some rights, such as that of
         voting in elections, are conferred earlier.
         [1913 Webster +PJC]

   6. The time of life at which some particular power or
      capacity is understood to become vested; as, the age of
      consent; the age of discretion. --Abbott.
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   7. A particular period of time in history, as distinguished
      from others; as, the golden age, the age of Pericles. "The
      spirit of the age." --Prescott.
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            Truth, in some age or other, will find her witness.
                                                  --Milton.
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   Note: Archeological ages are designated as three: The Stone
         age (the early and the later stone age, called
         paleolithic and neolithic), the Bronze age, and the
         Iron age. During the Age of Stone man is supposed to
         have employed stone for weapons and implements.
         [1913 Webster] See Augustan, Brazen, Golden,
         Heroic, Middle.
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   8. A great period in the history of the Earth.
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   Note: The geologic ages are as follows: 1. The Arch[ae]an,
         including the time when was no life and the time of the
         earliest and simplest forms of life. 2. The age of
         Invertebrates, or the Silurian, when the life on the
         globe consisted distinctively of invertebrates. 3. The
         age of Fishes, or the Devonian, when fishes were the
         dominant race. 4. The age of Coal Plants, or Acrogens,
         or the Carboniferous age. 5. The Mesozoic or Secondary
         age, or age of Reptiles, when reptiles prevailed in
         great numbers and of vast size. 6. The Tertiary age, or
         age of Mammals, when the mammalia, or quadrupeds,
         abounded, and were the dominant race. 7. The Quaternary
         age, or age of Man, or the modern era. --Dana.
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   9. A century; the period of one hundred years.
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            Fleury . . . apologizes for these five ages.
                                                  --Hallam.
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   10. The people who live at a particular period; hence, a
       generation. "Ages yet unborn." --Pope.
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             The way which the age follows.       --J. H.
                                                  Newman.
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             Lo! where the stage, the poor, degraded stage,
             Holds its warped mirror to a gaping age. --C.
                                                  Sprague.
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   11. A long time. [Colloq.] "He made minutes an age."
       --Tennyson.
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   12. (poker) the right belonging to 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.
       [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

   Age of a tide, the time from the origin of a tide in the
      South Pacific Ocean to its arrival at a given place.

   Moon's age, the time that has elapsed since the last
      preceding conjunction of the sun and moon.
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   Note: Age is used to form the first part of many compounds;
         as, agelasting, age-adorning, age-worn, age-enfeebled,
         agelong.
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   Syn: Time; period; generation; date; era; epoch.
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Age \Age\, v. t.
   To cause to grow old; to impart the characteristics of age
   to; as, grief ages us.
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Age \Age\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Aged; p. pr. & vb. n. Aging.]
   To grow aged; to become old; to show marks of age; as, he
   grew fat as he aged.
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         They live one hundred and thirty years, and never age
         for all that.                            --Holland.
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         I am aging; that is, I have a whitish, or rather a
         light-colored, hair here and there.      --Landor.
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AGE
       Adobe Graphics Engine (Adobe)
       

Age
   used to denote the period of a man's life (Gen. 47:28), the
   maturity of life (John 9:21), the latter end of life (Job
   11:17), a generation of the human race (Job 8:8), and an
   indefinite period (Eph. 2:7; 3:5, 21; Col. 1:26). Respect to be
   shown to the aged (Lev. 19:32). It is a blessing to communities
   when they have old men among them (Isa. 65:20; Zech. 8:4). The
   aged supposed to excel in understanding (Job 12:20; 15:10; 32:4,
   9; 1 Kings 12:6, 8). A full age the reward of piety (Job 5:26;
   Gen. 15:15).
   

AGE. The time when the law allows persons to do acts which, for want of
years, they were prohibited from doing before. See Coop. Justin. 446.
     2. For males, before they arrive at fourteen years they are said not to
be of discretion; at that age they may consent to marriage and choose a
guardian. Twenty-one years is full age for all private purposes, and the may
then exercise their rights as citizens by voting for public officers; and
are eligible to all offices, unless otherwise provided for in the
constitution. At 25, a man may be elected a representative in Congress; at
30, a senator; and at 35, he may be chosen president of the United States.
He is liable to serve in the militia from 18 to 45. inclusive, unless
exempted for some particular reason.
     3. As to females, at 12, they arrive at years of discretion and may
consent to marriage; at 14, they may choose a guardian; and 21, as in males,
is fun Age, when they may exercise all the rights which belong to their sex.
     4. In England no one can be chosen member of parliament till he has
attained 21 years; nor be ordained a priest under the age of 24; nor made a
bishop till he has completed his 30th year. The age of serving in the
militia is from 16 to 45 years.
     5. By the laws of France many provisions are made in respect to age,
among which are the following. To be a member of the legislative body, the
person must have attained 40 years; 25, to be a judge of a tribunal de
remiere instance; 27, to be its president, or to be judge or clerk of a
court royale ; 30, to be its president or procurer general; 25, to be a
justice of the peace; 30, to be judge of a tribunal of commerce, and 35, to
be its president; 25, to be a notary public; 21, to be a testamentary
witness; 30, to be a juror. At 16, a minor may devise one half of his,
property as if he were a major. A male cannot contract marriage till after
the 18th year, nor a female before full 15 years. At 21, both males and
females are capable to perform all the act's of civil life.  Toull. Dr. Civ.
Fr. Liv. 1, Intr. n. 188.
     6. In the civil law, the age of a man was divided as follows: namely,
the infancy of males extended to the full accomplishment of the 14th year;
at 14, he entered the age of puberty, and was said to have acquired full
puberty at 18 years accomplished, and was major on completing his 25th year.
A female was an infant til 7 years; at 12, she entered puberty, and acquired
full puberty at 14; she became of fall age on completing her 25th year.
Lecons Elem. du Dr. Civ. Rom. 22.
     See Com. Dig. Baron and Feme, B 5, Dower, A, 3, Enfant, C 9, 10, 11, D
3,  Pleader, 2 G 3, 2 W 22, 2 Y 8; Bac. Ab. Infancy and Age; 2 Vin. Ab. 131;
Constitution of the United States; Domat. Lois Civ. tome 1, p. 10; Merlin,
Repert. de Jurisp. mot Age; Ayl. Pand. 62; 1 Coke Inst. 78; 1 Bl. Com. 463.
See Witness.

AGE, n.  That period of life in which we compound for the vices that
we still cherish by reviling those that we have no longer the
enterprise to commit.