1. The period that has elapsed since birth.
2. One of the periods into which human life is divided, distinguished by physical evolution, equilibrium, and involution; e.g., the seven age’s of man are: infancy, childhood, adolescence, maturity, middle life, senescence, and senility.
3. To grow old; to gradually develop changes in structure that are not due to preventable disease or trauma and that are associated with decreased functional capacity and an increased probability of death.
4. To cause artificially the appearance characteristic of one who has lived long or of a thing that has existed for a long time.
5. In dentistry, to heat an alloy for amalgam so as to make it set more slowly, increase strength, reduce flow, and have a stable shelf life; aging occurs by relieving internal strains.
Origin
[F. âge, L. aetas]
achievement age
anatomical age
basal age
Binet age
bone age
childbearing age
chronologic age
developmental age
emotional age
fetal age
gestational age
menstrual age
mental age
physical age
physiologic age