the ould one
- noun
- Irish
- Every village in the area had the ould one whom people visited for advice.
Examples
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After dinner, the children gathered around the ould one for stories.
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Many respect the ould one due to her years of experience and kindness.
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I always listen to the ould one for advice.
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Have you spoken to the ould one lately?
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The villagers often sought the wisdom of the ould one when making important decisions.
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In our neighborhood, the ould one is known for sharing fascinating tales from the past.
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Grandchildren love visiting the ould one to hear stories about their family's history.
Synonyms
177
3.1
An older person who is respected for age and experience
14
7.2
A polite name for an older man who people respect for his wisdom
1
3.7
An older person respected for their knowledge and good sense
1
9.9
An older man people talk about in a loving way, often someone's father
1
9.9
A friendly name for an old man used in Ireland
Surface Forms
Morphology
the + ould + one
This is a regional/dialectal spelling of 'the old one' where the meaning ('an elderly person') is directly compositional from 'old' (here spelled 'ould') + 'one' and signaled by the definite article. Although 'ould' is a dialect form that may look unfamiliar orthographically, the semantic composition is transparent and readily inferable by B1 learners who know the constituent words.
Etymology
The ould one comes from rural speech where ould is the local way to say 'old' and people used the phrase to name a respected elder. So it means 'an elderly and respected person', often thought to be wise.