Definition: Gettin' up there in age.
Sample usage: To paraphrase Ernest Hemingway in "The Sun Also Rises," gerontifying is like going broke for some people — it happens gradually, then all at once.
Popularity: The Economist magazine used it, so it must be acceptable. "Gerontification" is another variant, which sounds like some mechanical process. Perhaps when one hits 80, you should shout out the way you did when you were a kid: "Gerontimoooooo!" And then leap. But carefully.
JAMES LILEKS
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