student asking question

What does this "citizen" mean? Does it mean a senior who is not a student? Can't just say a senior intern?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

The term "senior citizen" should be looked at together. "Senior citizen" is a common polite designation for an elderly person in both UK and US English, and it implies or means that the person is retired. That usually implies that the person in question is over the retirement age, which varies according to country. It is also accepted usage of "senior citizen" to describe any person over a certain age regardless if employment status. So in this clip, it means that she is hiring old people as interns. The term "senior citizen" literally means older member of society. Ex: Discounts are available for senior citizens. Ex: My back has been aching so much, I feel like a senior citizen.

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