Afrikaans senior | ||
Albanian i moshuar | ||
Amharic አዛውንት | ||
Arabic أول | ||
Armenian ավագ | ||
Assamese জ্যেষ্ঠ | ||
Aymara sinyur | ||
Azerbaijani böyük | ||
Bambara kùntigi | ||
Basque seniorra | ||
Belarusian старэйшы | ||
Bengali ঊর্ধ্বতন | ||
Bhojpuri वरिष्ठ | ||
Bosnian stariji | ||
Bulgarian старши | ||
Catalan major | ||
Cebuano senior | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 资深的 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 資深的 | ||
Corsican anzianu | ||
Croatian stariji | ||
Czech senior | ||
Danish senior- | ||
Dhivehi ސީނިއަރ | ||
Dogri आला | ||
Dutch senior | ||
English senior | ||
Esperanto maljunulo | ||
Estonian vanem | ||
Ewe ametsitsi | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) nakatatanda | ||
Finnish vanhempi | ||
French sénior | ||
Frisian senior | ||
Galician maior | ||
Georgian უფროსი | ||
German senior | ||
Greek αρχαιότερος | ||
Guarani tuichavéva | ||
Gujarati વરિષ્ઠ | ||
Haitian Creole granmoun aje | ||
Hausa babba | ||
Hawaiian ʻelemakule | ||
Hebrew בָּכִיר | ||
Hindi वरिष्ठ | ||
Hmong laus | ||
Hungarian idősebb | ||
Icelandic eldri | ||
Igbo agadi | ||
Ilocano senior | ||
Indonesian senior | ||
Irish sinsearach | ||
Italian anziano | ||
Japanese 上級 | ||
Javanese senior | ||
Kannada ಹಿರಿಯ | ||
Kazakh аға | ||
Khmer ជាន់ខ្ពស់ | ||
Kinyarwanda mukuru | ||
Konkani वडिल | ||
Korean 연장자 | ||
Krio ol | ||
Kurdish kalo | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) باڵا | ||
Kyrgyz улук | ||
Lao ຜູ້ອາວຸໂສ | ||
Latin senior | ||
Latvian vecākais | ||
Lingala mokolo | ||
Lithuanian vyresnysis | ||
Luganda omukulu | ||
Luxembourgish senior | ||
Macedonian сениор | ||
Maithili वरिष्ठ | ||
Malagasy ambony | ||
Malay senior | ||
Malayalam സീനിയർ | ||
Maltese anzjan | ||
Maori tuakana | ||
Marathi वरिष्ठ | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯑꯍꯜ ꯑꯣꯏꯔꯕ | ||
Mizo upa zawk | ||
Mongolian ахлах | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) အကြီးတန်း | ||
Nepali वरिष्ठ | ||
Norwegian senior | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) wamkulu | ||
Odia (Oriya) ସିନିୟର | ||
Oromo angafa | ||
Pashto مشر | ||
Persian ارشد | ||
Polish senior | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) senior | ||
Punjabi ਸੀਨੀਅਰ | ||
Quechua kuraq | ||
Romanian senior | ||
Russian старший | ||
Samoan sinia | ||
Sanskrit ज्येष्ठ | ||
Scots Gaelic àrd | ||
Sepedi mogolo | ||
Serbian старији | ||
Sesotho moholo | ||
Shona mukuru | ||
Sindhi سينيئر | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) ජ්යෙෂ් | ||
Slovak senior | ||
Slovenian starejši | ||
Somali waayeelka | ||
Spanish mayor | ||
Sundanese manula | ||
Swahili mwandamizi | ||
Swedish senior | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) nakatatanda | ||
Tajik калон | ||
Tamil மூத்தவர் | ||
Tatar өлкән | ||
Telugu సీనియర్ | ||
Thai อาวุโส | ||
Tigrinya ላዕለዋይ | ||
Tsonga lonkulu | ||
Turkish kıdemli | ||
Turkmen uly | ||
Twi (Akan) panin | ||
Ukrainian старший | ||
Urdu سینئر | ||
Uyghur پېشقەدەم | ||
Uzbek katta | ||
Vietnamese cao cấp | ||
Welsh uwch | ||
Xhosa ngaphezulu | ||
Yiddish עלטער | ||
Yoruba oga | ||
Zulu omkhulu |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | In Afrikaans, "senior" can also refer to a male teacher, especially at a secondary school. |
| Albanian | "I moshuar" is a term in Albanian used to address an elderly person, but it can also be used to refer to a respected figure, a leader or an authority. |
| Amharic | The Amharic word "አዛውንት" can also refer to an elder or respected person. |
| Arabic | In addition to its primary meaning of "senior," the Arabic word "أول" (awwal) can also refer to "the beginning" or "the first." |
| Armenian | The word "ավագ" in Armenian has multiple meanings, including "grandfather" and "leader of a group". |
| Azerbaijani | The word "böyük" in Azerbaijani has the same root as the Turkish word "büyük" meaning "great" or "large". |
| Basque | The Basque word "seniorra" derives from the Latin "senior," also meaning "superior" or "master" |
| Belarusian | The word "старэйшы" in Belarusian also means "elder" or "council of elders". |
| Bengali | "ঊর্ধ্বতন" refers to a person who has climbed up the social ladder. |
| Bosnian | In Bosnian, "stariji" not only denotes the concept of "senior" but is also a form of polite address typically used to refer to older or respected persons. |
| Bulgarian | The word "Старши" in Bulgarian derives from the Proto-Slavic word "starějšĭ" meaning "elder, chief" and has a related meaning in other Slavic languages, such as "starszy" in Polish, "starši" in Slovenian, and "старый" in Russian. |
| Catalan | In Catalan, "major" can also refer to a person's occupation or profession, similar to the English term "major" in the context of a university degree. |
| Cebuano | The term 'senior' in Cebuano also means 'elder', 'older person' or 'master'. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 资深的, can literally translate into 'resource-deep', referring to someone who has rich experience and resources. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 資深的 can also mean 'experienced' or 'veteran'. |
| Corsican | The word "anzianu" (senior) derives from the Latin "antianus", but can also refer to a family elder or an influential person in the community. |
| Croatian | The word 'stariji' originates from the Proto-Slavic root 'starь', meaning 'old' or 'elder', and is related to words like 'starac' (old man) and 'stara' (old woman) in Croatian. |
| Czech | The Czech word "senior" can also mean "old" or "experienced". |
| Danish | The Danish word "senior-" can also mean "late-," as in "senior high school" (high school years 2 and 3). |
| Dutch | The Dutch word "senior" can also refer to a first-year student at a higher education institution. |
| Esperanto | Maljunulo is also used to refer to a senior member of any organization, even if they are not necessarily old. |
| Estonian | "Vanem" (senior) in Estonian shares its origin with "venerable" in English, both derived from Latin "veneror" (to revere). |
| Finnish | "Senior" (vanhempi) also means "parent" in Finnish. |
| French | The word "sénior" in French can also refer to a member of a professional or academic guild. |
| Frisian | The Frisian word "senior" also means "older person" or "teacher". |
| Galician | **Galician:** "maior" also means "older" or "bigger" in the context of a family or group. |
| Georgian | In Georgian, the word "უფროსი" ("uprosi") can also refer to a supervisor, leader, or elder person. |
| German | The word "Senior" in German can also refer to a university student in the final year of their studies. |
| Greek | The word "αρχαιότερος" comes from the Greek word "αρχή," which means "beginning" or "origin." |
| Gujarati | The word "વરિષ્ઠ" in Gujarati is ultimately derived from Sanskrit and also refers to a type of rice that is harvested in the winter. |
| Haitian Creole | The term 'granmoun aje' (senior) in Haitian Creole can also refer to an experienced or respected individual, akin to the usage of 'elder' in English. |
| Hausa | "Babba" can also mean "husband" or "a person from the ethnic group that first settled in a town" |
| Hawaiian | 'Elemakule' is a Hawaiian word that derives from the words 'elemaku' (to age) and 'kule' (old). |
| Hebrew | בָּכִיר can also mean "mature" and is related to the word "בֶּכִי" ("crying"), due to the association of crying with the elderly. |
| Hindi | The word वरिष्ठ "varishtha" can also refer to someone who is older or more senior in experience or position in the workplace, family or society |
| Hmong | The word "laus" can also mean "elder brother" or "uncle", depending on the context. |
| Hungarian | "Idősebb" (older) comes from the word "idő" (time), implying someone who has been around for longer. |
| Icelandic | The word "eldri" also means "older" or "senior" in the sense of being experienced or respected. |
| Igbo | Igbo word “agadi”, aside its connotative meaning of “senior”, has alternative meanings in Igbo proverbs, such as “strength” and “power”. |
| Indonesian | The Indonesian word "senior" can also refer to an elder or a person with experience in a particular field. |
| Irish | While "sinsearach" commonly means "senior" in Modern Irish, it derives from the Middle Irish, which had a more general meaning of "older" or "venerable." |
| Italian | "anziano" in Italian can also mean "elderly" or "respected" and derives from the Latin word "antianus," meaning "old man." |
| Japanese | In addition to meaning "senior," 上級 (じょうきゅう) can also mean "higher level" or "advanced." |
| Javanese | In Javanese, "senior" can also refer to an elder sibling or a respected person. |
| Kannada | The word "ಹಿರಿಯ" (hiriya) in Kannada also means "elder" or "older" in terms of age, experience, or position. |
| Kazakh | The word "аға" also means "older brother" and is used as a respectful term to address older men. |
| Khmer | The word 'senior' can also refer to a higher level in an organization or hierarchy. |
| Korean | The term '연장자' literally translates to 'one who prolongs life' and also carries connotations of wisdom and respect. |
| Kurdish | 'Kalo' is originally a Turkish word meaning 'uncle' or 'father-in-law'. |
| Kyrgyz | In Kyrgyz mythology, "улук" also refers to a mythical bird that embodies wisdom and longevity. |
| Latin | In Latin, "senior" also denotes a person of higher rank or authority within a family or community. |
| Latvian | The word "vecākais" is also used to refer to the oldest male member of a family or clan in Latvian. |
| Lithuanian | The word "vyresnysis" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *wei-, meaning "to live" or "to be alive". |
| Luxembourgish | Senior can also refer to a former student of a private or parochial boarding school in Luxembourg. |
| Macedonian | The Macedonian word "Сениор" can also refer to a member of a fraternity or sorority. |
| Malagasy | The word "ambony" in Malagasy can also mean "elder", "master", or "chief". |
| Malay | In Malay, the word "senior" can also refer to someone with knowledge or experience in a particular field. |
| Malayalam | The word “സീനിയർ” (“senior”) is used in Malayalam to refer to someone who is more experienced or has been in a position for a longer time. |
| Maltese | The word "anzjan" originates from the Arabic word "anīsan", meaning companion. |
| Maori | Tuakana can refer to an older sibling or an experienced person who is looked up to for guidance and support. |
| Marathi | The Marathi word "वरिष्ठ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "वृद्ध" (old or elderly), indicating that seniority is often associated with age and experience in Indian culture. |
| Mongolian | The word "ахлах" in Mongolian can also refer to a person who has seniority or authority, or to a person who is respected for their age or experience. |
| Nepali | The word |
| Norwegian | "Senior" in Norwegian can also mean "last year of high school" and "elderly person who has been in a position of authority or respect." |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "wamkulu" in Nyanja can also mean "older person" or "respected elder". |
| Pashto | The word "مشر" can also refer to an elder brother, a teacher, a wise person, or a religious leader in Pashto. |
| Persian | It is derived from the Arabic root word 'aršada', meaning 'to guide' or 'to show the way'. |
| Polish | The word 'senior' in Polish also means 'lord' or 'master'. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | Senior can also mean 'older' or 'elderly' when referring to people, or 'experienced' when referring to professionals. |
| Punjabi | The Punjabi word 'ਸੀਨੀਅਰ' ('senior') has its origins in the Latin languages, where it meant aged, old or elder. |
| Romanian | In Romanian, "senior" can also refer to a teacher or a person who is highly respected or has a high social status. |
| Russian | The word "старший" can also mean "elder" or "older" in the sense of "more experienced" or "of a higher rank". |
| Samoan | The Samoan word 'sinia' can also mean 'head' or 'chief', and is related to the Proto-Polynesian word 'sinia', meaning 'above' or 'high'. |
| Scots Gaelic | The Old Irish word, àrd (also spelt àrdh or árd) survives in Scottish place names, like Ardrossan or Ardnamurchan, and can mean 'headland' or 'promontory', as well as a height |
| Serbian | The word "старији" also means "older" or "more experienced" in Serbian. |
| Sesotho | The name for "senior" in Sesotho, "moholo", may alternatively be used as an honorific prefix for a male elder. |
| Shona | "Mukuru" also refers to "the head of the family" or "the oldest member of the family." |
| Sindhi | The word "سينيئر" (senior) in Sindhi shares its etymological root with the Latin word "senior", meaning "older", and is used to denote seniority in both languages. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word 'ජ්යෙෂ්' ('senior') in Sinhalese (Sinhalese) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'ज्येष्ठ', which also means 'elder' or 'senior'. |
| Slovak | The Slovak word "senior" can also refer to someone who is older, more experienced, or of a higher rank. |
| Slovenian | The Slovenian word "starejši" derives from the word "star", meaning "old" or "ancient", and refers to someone who is older or more experienced. |
| Somali | The term 'waayeelka' is a term of respect derived from the word 'waayo', which means 'time' or 'age'. |
| Spanish | The word "mayor" in Spanish also means "eldest" and "main". |
| Sundanese | The word "manula" may also refer to a type of bird in Sundanese language. |
| Swahili | The word "mwandamizi" can also mean "chief" or "leader". |
| Swedish | In Swedish, "senior" also refers to a high school student in their third and final year |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The word 'nakatatanda' also means 'elderly' or 'aged' in Tagalog. |
| Tajik | The word "калон" in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "калан", meaning "chief, elder, or leader." |
| Tamil | The word "மூத்தவர்" in Tamil originates from the word "முதிர்", meaning "mature" or "experienced", and is used to refer to someone who is older and wiser. |
| Telugu | The word "సీనియర్" is derived from the Latin word "senior", meaning "older" or "more experienced. |
| Thai | The word "อาวุโส" can also mean "seniority", "elder", or "old". |
| Turkish | The word "kıdemli" can also mean "experienced" or "veteran". |
| Ukrainian | In Old Church Slavonic, "старый" meant both "old" and "старший", which was reflected in the development of modern Ukrainian "старший". |
| Urdu | The word "سینئر" comes from the French word "seigneur", which means "lord" or "master". |
| Uzbek | The word "katta" in Uzbek can also refer to an "elder brother" or a "leader" |
| Vietnamese | The word "cao cấp" can also mean "high quality" or "top-notch". |
| Welsh | The word 'uwch' is also used as a suffix to create nouns like 'uwchbwrdd' (chairman) or 'uwchathro' (senior student). |
| Xhosa | The term "ngaphezulu" also refers to someone with authority, wisdom, or high social status. |
| Yiddish | The original meaning of עלטער was “father.” |
| Yoruba | "Oga" in Yoruba can also refer to a respected or important figure, such as a chief or a deity. |
| Zulu | Omkhulu can also mean "forefather" or "ancestor" in Zulu. |
| English | The word "senior" can also refer to a person who is older or more experienced in a particular field, such as a senior manager or a senior engineer. |