showing the way by conducting or leading; imposing direction on; "felt his mother's directing arm around him"; "the directional role of science on industrial progress"
past times (especially in the phrase `in days of old')
of a very early stage in development; "Old English is also called Anglo Saxon"; "Old High German is High German from the middle of the 9th to the end of the 11th century"
old in experience; "an old offender"; "the older soldiers"
of long duration; not new; "old tradition"; "old house"; "old wine"; "old country"; "old friendships"; "old money"
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age; "an old man's eagle mind"--William Butler Yeats; "his mother is very old"; "a ripe old age"; "how old are you?"
something that provides an important central source for growth or development; "the taproot of his resentment"; "genius and insanity spring from the same taproot"
(botany) main root of a plant growing straight downward from the stem