Edad

Edad is a Spanish noun with several closely related meanings. Primarily, it denotes the duration of a person or thing's life or the length of time since birth. It is used to express how old someone is or how old an object, project, or concept is. In everyday language, you can ask “¿Cuál es tu edad?” or say that someone “tiene 25 años.” The term can also refer to the age or stage of development of nonhuman things, such as a building or an software version.

Etymology and linguistic notes. Edad comes from the Latin word aetas, meaning life, lifetime, or age, and entered Spanish via Old Spanish. The word preserves the core idea of time lived or time elapsed.

Legal and social usage. In many legal and administrative contexts, edad is central to rights and responsibilities, such as acquiring the status of mayor de edad (adult) or being considered menor de edad (minor). Expressions like “a cierta edad” and “a la edad de” are common when describing age thresholds or milestones. Age is also a demographic variable used in statistics and public policy to analyze population structure, health, schooling, and employment.

Historical and cultural usage. In historiography and archaeology, the word Edad is used—often capitalized—to name large historical periods, such as la Edad Media (Middle Ages), la Edad Moderna, la Edad Contemporánea, or the Edad de Piedra (Stone Age) and the Edad de Bronce. These terms denote eras characterized by distinct cultural, technological, or societal traits.

In sum, edad covers both the personal measure of time since birth and the broader concept of historical time, with widespread use across everyday language, law, demographics, and historiography.