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alder
alder [OE alor]. A shrub or tree (genus Alnus) of the birch family that has special implications in Celtic tradition. The alder usually grows in wet ground, with small, pendulous catkins. Alders are especially associated with Bran; at Cad Goddeu, ‘The Battle of the Trees’, Gwydion guessed Bran's name from the alder twigs in his hand. The answer to an old Taliesin riddle ‘Why is the alder purple?’ is ‘Because Bran wore purple’. Bran's alder may be a symbol of resurrection. The name for the boy Gwern, son of Matholwch and Branwen, means ‘alder’. The place-name Fernmag (ang. Farney) means ‘plain of the alder’.
In Ireland the alder was regarded with awe apparently because when cut the wood turns from white to red. At one time the felling of an alder was punishable, and it is still avoided. The alder was thought to have power of divination, especially in the diagnosing of diseases. Alder or yew might be used in the fé, a rod for measuring corpses and graves in pre-Christian Ireland. The letter F, third consonant in the ogham alphabet, was named for the alder (OIr. fern). ModIr. fearnóg; ScG feàrna; Manx farney; W gwernen; Corn.gwernen; Bret. gwernenn. See also FAIRY TREE. |
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JAMES MacKILLOP. "alder." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAMES MacKILLOP. "alder." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-alder.html JAMES MacKILLOP. "alder." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-alder.html |
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alder
alder , name for deciduous trees and shrubs of the genus Alnus of the family Betulaceae ( birch family), widely distributed, especially in mountainous and moist areas of the north temperate zone and in the Andes. The black alder ( A. glutinosa ) is an Old World species now naturalized in E North America. Its bark, still used for dyes and tanning, was formerly considered medicinal; its wood is useful chiefly as charcoal. A. rugosa, the speckled alder, forms extensive swamp thickets in Eurasia and North America. The red alder ( A. rubra ), the largest tree of the genus, is the most important hardwood timber tree in its native region, the Pacific coast of North America. Alder trees are classified in the division Magnoliophyta , class Magnoliopsida, order Fagales, family Betulaceae. |
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"alder." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "alder." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-alder.html "alder." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-alder.html |
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alder
al·der / ˈôldər/ (also alder tree) • n. a widely distributed tree (genus Alnus) of the birch family that has toothed leaves and bears male catkins and woody female cones. |
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"alder." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "alder." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-alder.html "alder." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-alder.html |
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alder
alder the tree Alnus glutinosa. OE. alor, aler, rel. OHG. elira, erila (G. erle), ON. ǫlr, also to L. alnus.
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T. F. HOAD. "alder." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "alder." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-alder.html T. F. HOAD. "alder." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-alder.html |
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alder
alder See ALNUS
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "alder." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "alder." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-alder.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "alder." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-alder.html |
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alder
alder
•dodder, fodder, plodder, prodder
•Isolde, solder
•absconder, anaconda, Fonda, Golconda, Honda, nonda, ponder, responder, squander, Wanda, wander, yonder
•hot-rodder
•awarder, boarder, border, defrauder, hoarder, Korda, marauder, order, recorder, sordor, warder
•alder, Balder, Calder
•launder, maunder
•sailboarder • skateboarder
•keyboarder • snowboarder
•camcorder • video recorder
•chowder, Gouda, howdah, Lauda, powder
•bounder, compounder, expounder, flounder, founder, grounder, impounder, pounder, propounder, rounder, sounder
•gunpowder
•Clodagh, coda, coder, exploder, loader, Oder, odour (US odor), pagoda, Rhoda, Sargodha, Schroder, soda, vocoder
•beholder, boulder, folder, holder, moulder (US molder), polder, scolder, shoulder, smoulder (US smolder), upholder, withholder
•cardholder • shareholder
•stakeholder
•freeholder, keyholder
•leaseholder • copyholder
•policyholder • stockholder
•smallholder, stallholder
•householder • freeloader
•avoider, embroider
•joinder • Schadenfreude
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"alder." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "alder." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-alder.html "alder." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-alder.html |
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