genarian

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒɪˈnɛəɹi.ən/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒɪˈnɛɹi.ən/
• Rhymes: -ɛəɹiən

Etymology 1

Back-formation from sexagenarian, septuagenarian, octogenarian, and so on.

Noun

genarian (plural genarians)

1. An elderly person, especially one over the age of 60.
   • 1955, Mark Antony De Wolfe Howe, Sundown; Later and Earlier Selected Poems, page 71:

     Let all the genarians pass in review — The procession will last but a minute or two.

   • 1994 September 19, Gerry Goldstein, “Maurice Browning thrives and grows, just like his garden”, in Providence Journal-Bulletin:

     His garden is an expansive project for an octogenarian, or any kind of genarian.

   • 2008, Elaine Bernstein Partnow, Judith Partnow Hyman, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Your True Age, →ISBN, page 41:

     At the other end of the spectrum, several genarians had physical fitness AQs down in the 30s!

   • 2014, Carolyn Mathews, Squaring Circles, →ISBN:

     The only reference I made to his age, was the dedication on his card: To my sexy genarian.

Synonyms

• geriatric, oldster, senior citizen; see also Thesaurus:old person

Etymology 2

From genus +‎ -arian.

Adjective

genarian (not comparable)

1. (philosophy) Concerning rules or principles as opposed to acts.
   • 1979, Peter Schröder, Leonard Nelson Symposium, page 90:

     This distinguishes his position from that of rule-utilitarians like Brandt, with whom Hare otherwise largely agrees, and makes Hare an actarian in my sense rather than a genarian.

   • 1982, J. H. Wellbank, Denis Snook, David T. Mason, John Rawls & His Critics: An Annotated Bibliography, page 187:

     Rawls' s theory is genarian (the Method is used to derive rules, principles, which in turn are applied to acts) rather than actarian (the Method applied directly to acts).

Anagrams

• anearing