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 any of several similar trees or shrubs
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
al•der /ˈɔldɚ/USA pronunciation
n. [countable], pl. alders or alder.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- Plant Biologya shrub or tree of the birch family, growing in moist places in cool regions.
al•der
(ôl′dər),USA pronunciation n.
Al•der (äl′dər; Ger. äl′dər),USA pronunciation n.
- 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.
- any of various trees or shrubs resembling an alder.
- Indo-European dialect, dialectal *alsnos
- Indo-European dialect, dialectal *alisā; Lithuanian al̃ksnis, Latin alnus
- Gmc *alísō, hence Gmc *álus, alísō; compare Polish olcha, Russian ol’khá
- Gmc *álisó̄, Middle Low German els(e)
- Gmc *alú̄sō, Old High German elira, erila (German Erle)
- Gmc *álusó̄; akin to Middle High German alze
- bef. 900; Middle English alder, aller, Old English alor, al(e)r; cognate with Old Norse ǫlr, Middle Low German al(l)er
Al•der (äl′dər; Ger. äl′dər),USA pronunciation n.
- Biographical Kurt (kûrt;
Ger. kŏŏrt), 1902–58, German chemist: Nobel prize 1950.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'alder' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):