sen-, sene-, seni-, sir-

(Latin: old age, old, elder, elderly)

"Since I intend to spend the rest of my life there, my interest is in tomorrow; and the best thing about tomorrow is that it comes one day at a time."

—Art Linkletter
Senectus insanabilis morbus est. (Latin proverb)
Translation: "Old age is an incurable disease" or "Old age itself is a sickness."

"Some aging people seem to have the attitude of Senectus insanabilis morbus est and choose not to try to do anything about it."

—Publius Terentius (c.185-159 B.C.) as presented in
Veni, Vidi, Vici by Eugene Ehrlich; Harper-Collins Publishers; 1995; page 228.
Senectus ipsa morbus est. (Latin proverb)
Translation: "Old age in itself is a disease."

"A fatalist may conclude that Senectus ipsa morbus est and that there is nothing that he or she can do to change it."

—As seen in Dictionary of Foreign Phrases and Abbreviations
by Kevin Guinagh; The H.W. Wilson Company; New York; 1983; page 181.
senesce (verb), senesces; senesced; senescing
To grow older; to reach maturity: The dog was senescing and was not as active as he used to be.

Even though the trees in the forest had senesced they were in fact still healthy and green.

Set of books representing sources of information for word info topics.

"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body."

—Sir Richard Steele (1672-1729)
senescence (s) (noun), senescences (pl)
1. The physical period of being elderly: There are researchers, physicians, and others who believe that people are born, grow rapidly to maturity, and then coast along on a more or less comfortable plateau until they begin the period of senescence.

In human life, senescence is equated with the period of functional-bodily decline that precedes death, with the appearance of age-related diseases.

2. The normal process or condition of aging, as distinguished from the effects of disease in advanced years: The gerontologist, Dr. McMahon, met with Mrs. Nelson to discuss the senescence that she was experiencing, now that she was well over 95 years old.
3. Etymology: from Latin senescere, “to grow old” from senex, "old."
The process of aging.
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"People don't grow old. When they stop growing, they become old."

—Anonymous
Senescence begins
And middle age ends
The day your descendants
Outnumber your friends.
—Ogden Nash

People are the only creatures on earth who can change their biology by what they think and feel

It would be impossible to isolate a single thought or feeling, a single belief or assumption, that doesn't have some effect on aging, either directly or indirectly.

Because the mind influences every cell in the body, human aging is fluid and changeable; it can speed up, slow down, stop for a time, and even reverse itself.

A few words from Ageless Body, Timeless Mind
—By Deepak Chopra, M.D.; Harmony Books; New York; 1993.
senescent (adjective), more senescent, most senescent
Approaching an advanced age: Mark's white hair was a senescent sign that he was past his prime.

"Seven Ages of Man" or "All the World's a Stage"

William Shakespeare from "As You Like It"

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling (whimpering, sobbing) and puking in the nurse's arms.
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like a snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard (leopard),
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon (tender chicken) lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws (proverbs) and modern instances (examples);
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon (old fool),
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans* teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans every thing.
(*without)
senex (s) (noun), senes (pl)
In literary contexts, the figure of a man quite advanced in life or simply a reference to an old man: Familiar figures at New Years are the senex, a graybeard seeing the old year out and a baby welcoming the New Year in.
Senex bis puer. (Latin saying)
Translation: "An old man is a boy again" or "old age is considered a second childhood for some elderly men": The grandchildren of the old man kept him so busy that he told his daughter-in-law that he really understood what the Latin expression Senex bis puer means because he was so involved with the children.
senhor (s) (noun), senhores (pl)
A Portuguese or Brazilian title of respect: When Joseph Benjamin went to Portugal, the desk clerk at the hotel spoke to him by saying, "Senhor Benjamin, here is the key to your room, and I hope you enjoy your visit in our country."
senile (adjective), more senile, most senile
1. Characteristic of a decrepit person who exhibits the weakness or diseases of the declining years: Mr. Black, the senile patient at the nursing home, always wanted to sit outside instead of being in his room.
2. Belonging to, suited for, or an incident of the golden years: The retired chairman of the board, Mr. Fisk, walked with a senile gait because of his ripe and waning existence.
3. Forgetful, confused, or otherwise mentally less acute in later life: Like many other people, Mr.Evans had a senile moment when he walked into the room and forgot what he was looking for.
4. Occurring in or believed to be characteristic of being a senior; especially, during the period after the mid sixties: Because of his senile age, the law required the man to take a test drive before renewing his driver’s license.
senile dementia (s) (noun), senile dementias (pl)
A form of brain disorder marked by unusually accelerated and progressive, irreversible mental deterioration: Senile dementia is often associated with declining people who appear to experience memory loss, forgetfulness, and disorientation.
senile involution (s) (noun), senile involutions (pl)
The slowly progressive degenerative changes seen with advanced age, often with the loss of muscle and subcutaneous tissues and the shrinkage of other organs: A dynamic field of study in gerontology is senile involution which involves research about unpleasant aging changes; among them, aches and pains; decreased vigor, healing ability, sensory acuity, muscle tone, bone density; memory deficits; wrinkles; loss of beauty, friends, family, and independence; increased reliance on doctors and pills; and social isolation.
—Based on information located in
Healthy Aging by Andrew Weil, M.D.; Alfred A. Knopf;
New York; 2005; page 5 in the introduction.
senilism (s) (noun), senilisms (pl)
A medical condition of premature senescence: Because of a complicated medical situation, Jack Dawn was experiencing senilism.
senility (s) (noun), senilities (pl)
Elderliness or the mental and physical infirmity resulting from this: Jim's aunt seemed to be suffering from senility since she was physically frail and continually worried about falling and breaking an arm or a leg.

Forgetting names and faces or misplacing keys are normal occurrences for any age and when people are young, they think nothing of such situations; however, as they get older, they're tempted to worry that such actions are signs of senility.

senilize (verb), senilizes; senilized; senilizing
To make or to advance during the time of one's life: We can be sure that entering the elderly period of life is at least one of the things that will senilize all of us.
senior (s) (noun), seniors (pl)
1. Older, elder; especially used after a person's name to denote the elder of two bearing the same name in a family; also (after a simple surname) the elder of two boys of the same surname in a school, etc.: Stuart's father was known as John Jones, Senior; often abbreviated John Jones, Sr.  

At school, there were two boys with the surname Smith; they were known as Smith, Senior and Smith, Junior.
2. A term for a very mature person; especially, someone who is past the age of retirement: Mrs. Thompson, the senior who lives in the same apartment building that Jane does, is very active and goes to the gym at least three times a week."
3. Someone ranking before others as a result of longer service or tenure in a position; that is, superior to others in standing or status: Greg's position at the bank was senior to all the other employees since he had worked at the bank for more than 40 years.

The senior class is the last year of an educational program; such as, high school or college: Mary's son, Ted, was a senior in his last year at high school and because of the expense, she was not sure whether he would be able to go on to a university after graduating.

Also visit this Quotes: Old Age section for other significant view points regarding old age.

Related "old; old age, elder" units: gero-; obsolesc-; presbyo-; veter-.