Definition 1: "Old long since" or "times long past" in Scots English, the name of an auld Scottish folk song recorded and edited by Scottish poet Robert Burns and published posthumously in 1796.

Usage 1: This phrase is the title of the traditional English New Year's song, sung at the stroke of midnight of the New Year. The earliest recorded version appeared in the 1700 edition of Playford's 'Original Scotch Tunes.' Burns's variation is similar to other versions. "Light be the turf on the breast of the heaven-inspired Poet who composed this glorious Fragment," Burns wrote to a friend on December 7, 1788.

Suggested usage: Sing it on New Year's day to the good memories of 2003. Let us not lose those to the mayhem of wars and terrorist attacks. yourDictionary.com wishes everyone reading this, and those they know, a very peaceful, prosperous, and secure New Year.

Etymology: "Auld" is the Scots descendent of the same Old English "ald" that devolved into "old" elsewhere in English. Old English "lang" similarly developed into "long" except in Scotland and Northern England. "Syne" comes from Old English siððan (siththan) from sið+þan "after that," related to German seitdem "since." Other dialects developed sið+þennes (sith+thennes) = sithence which later reduced to "since."