Zi:老

老 [lǎo] old, venerable; 老​人 old person; 老​师 teacher, (​道​家) 老​子 Lǎo Zǐ; 老​虎 tiger, 老​鼠 mouse; (radical 125, 老​部)

One monosyllabic entry in The ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary (namespace Ci):

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The Shuōwén Seal form of 老 lǎo ‘old/venerable (~70 year-old person)’ combines ​人 rén ‘person’, ​毛 máo ‘hair’, and ​匕(​𠤎) huà ‘change’ (fallen/dead man); the hair of the head/beard changes color in old age, becoming gray/white.
    Note: In the character 老 (6 strokes) the top part ​耂 (4 strokes) corresponds to ​毛 and ​人 in the Seal (cf. ​秃/​𣬜 ‘bald’); the lower part is ​匕(​𠤎) huà ‘change’ (fallen man, cf. ​辰), not ​匕 bǐ ‘compare/compete’.
    Compare: ​考 kǎo ‘longevity’ (​壽​考, ​皇​考; cf. ​攷, ​朽); ​寿/​壽(​𦓆) shòu ‘longevity’.
    Compare: ​孝 xiào filial piety (care/respect for parents/elders) (​孝​顺); ​教(​敎) jiāo ‘teach’ (with ​𡥈).
    Compare: ​媪/​媼 ǎo ‘old woman’; ​长/​長(​𨱗​仧​𨱘) zhǎng ‘elder/chief’.
    “[老] The modern form is an extreme corruption of a seal containing ​毛 hair ​匕 changing (color): old” —Karlgren(AD).
    HDZ: 老 : lǎo : (SW: ​考; ​七​十​曰老) ​五​十​至​七​十​岁​的​高​龄; (​古) (​尊​称) ​对​某​些​臣​僚​的​尊​称 (​上​公; ​上​卿; ​大​夫; ​大​夫​的​家​臣; ​群​吏​之​尊​者); ​父​母​或​兄​长; ​衰​弱, ​衰​落 (cf. ​朽); 老​练, ​富​有​经​验 (老​手, 老​干​部); ​致​仕, ​年老​退​休; ​敬老, ​养老 (cf. 老​人老, ​孤​人​孤), (​尊​称) ​对老​年​人 (​扶老​携​幼, ​敬老​院); ​历​时​长​久​的 ((​旧) (ant. ​新) (老​工​厂, 老​问​题); (ant. ​嫩) (老​白​菜, 老​枝​嫩​叶); (​某​些​颜​色) ​深 (ant. ​浅) (老​绿, 老​红)); (​简​称) 老​子​及​其​哲​学; ​小, ​排​行​在​最​末​的 (老​儿​子, 老​妹​子); (​六​十​四​卦) ​变​爻; (​讳​称) ​死​的 (​送老​归​山); (​副​词) (​总, ​经​常; ​很 (老​远, 老​高, 老​长)); (​前​缀) (老​石, 老​元; 老​大, 老​二, 老​四; 老​虎, 老​鸦); (​后​缀) (​嗅老 (​鼻), ​柴老 (​牙), ​听老 (​耳)), ​佬 (​庄​稼老, ​外​国老, 老​外); (​姓)
►references: Guǎngyùn:301.28; Wieger:30e,100a; Karlgren:AD515,GSR1055a; Hànyǔ Dà Zìdiǎn:4.2778.1; Mathews:3833; Kāngxī Zìdiǎn:960.25; Bǐshùn Guīfàn:023.0.03; Wáng(1993):28; EDOC:1
►components: ​耂​匕​​土​𠤎
►Cantonese: louh/
►stroke 老 (... strokes)   
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Unicode: U+8001
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