What does "eldership" mean?

The position of being elder or senior; seniority, precedence of birth, primogeniture.

What is a synonym for "eldership"?

Common synonyms include: seniority, age, antiquity, atavism, elderate, elderate.

//ˈɛldɚʃɪp// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
The position of being elder or senior; seniority, precedence of birth, primogeniture. countable, uncountable
"Primogenitura, or eldership of birth, was greatly respected by God."
2
the office of elder wordnet
3
The personality of an elderly person. countable, nonce-word, uncountable
"So irresistible to their elderships to be flattered."
4
The office or position of elder in a church. countable, uncountable
"The office of eldership is equallie distributed betweene the bishop and the minister."
5
The collective body of (ecclesiastical) elders; a body or court of elders, a presbytery. countable, uncountable
"That gyft, which was geuen thee by prophecie with the laying on of the handes, by the Eldership."

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6
The smallest administrative division in Lithuania, equivalent to a ward. countable, uncountable
"The local governmental system in Lithuania has passed through several changes since the restoration of independence, and its future is still being debated. There are three levels of local government: apskritys (plural apskritis, usually translated as “counties”); municipalities; and elderates, sometimes given as elderships."

"Primogenitura, or eldership of birth, was greatly respected by God."

From elder + -ship. The Lithuanian sense is a calque of Lithuanian seniūnija.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.