Old age or ancient times; used archaic or poetic language to describe the distant past or elderly condition.
From Old English 'elde' meaning old age or antiquity. Related to Germanic roots meaning 'old' and evolved to represent both the state of being aged and the historical past. Common in Middle English poetry.
Shakespeare and medieval poets loved 'eld'—it's an ancient word for ancient things, and there's something beautifully recursive about that—you use an old word to talk about things from the past!
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