Question

oldster noun Youngster has been used since the 16th century as a word for a young person with a lot of spunk. It has also long been used by maritime people as a word for a midshipman who has served less than four years. This use is connected with the Dutch word younker, which, like youngster, refers to a young person as well as a young seaman. Oldster came about as a word used to differentiate the inexperienced midshipmen, or youngsters, from the experienced ones. To be exact, in maritime contexts, an oldster is a midshipman of four years' standing. Charles Dickens gets credit for the earliest known use of oldster in the general sense of "an old person." In his 1848 novel Dombey & Son he wrote, "Mr Dombey … said of Florence that her eyes would play the Devil with the youngsters before long—'and the oldsters too, Sir, if you come to that,' added the Major…." : an old or elderly person

Accepted Answer

October 19, 2015 OHLD-ster More and more oldsters are embracing the Internet and connecting and interacting using social media."I once saw an actress in a period piece wake a snoozing oldster in the front row by tapping his bald head smartly with her fan." — Michael Feingold, Theater Mania, 4 Sept. 2015

Word	oldster
Date	October 19, 2015
Type	noun
Syllables	OHLD-ster
Etymology	Youngster has been used since the 16th century as a word for a young person with a lot of spunk. It has also long been used by maritime people as a word for a midshipman who has served less than four years. This use is connected with the Dutch word younker, which, like youngster, refers to a young person as well as a young seaman. Oldster came about as a word used to differentiate the inexperienced midshipmen, or youngsters, from the experienced ones. To be exact, in maritime contexts, an oldster is a midshipman of four years' standing. Charles Dickens gets credit for the earliest known use of oldster in the general sense of "an old person." In his 1848 novel Dombey & Son he wrote, "Mr Dombey … said of Florence that her eyes would play the Devil with the youngsters before long—'and the oldsters too, Sir, if you come to that,' added the Major…."
Examples	More and more oldsters are embracing the Internet and connecting and interacting using social media. "I once saw an actress in a period piece wake a snoozing oldster in the front row by tapping his bald head smartly with her fan." — Michael Feingold, Theater Mania, 4 Sept. 2015
Definition	: an old or elderly person

Oldster Word Young Person Maritime Midshipman Dombey October