State or condition of advanced age; period of life characterized by being old. Used primarily to denote old age as an abstract concept rather than as a specific stage or person. In biblical usage, often refers to the status or condition associated with the elderly, carrying implications of both physical aging and social status.

Etymology Root: זקן (z-q-n). The root זקן functions primarily with the sense 'to be/become old, advance in age.' זָקֻן is formally the passive participle form of this root, though used solely as a noun to denote the state of being old. The form itself is rarely attested and predominantly found in the plural.

Reflexes  · not yet grouped by proto-form

LanguageWordMeaningSegmentationRoot
Kinyarwanda guseka to become old, to age -sek-
Kirundi guseka to become old; to age (of people, not things) -sek-
Swahili zeeka to become old, to age (intransitive verb, related to attaining advanced age) zeek-