Forms: α. 1–3 ær, (3 ære), 1–6 er, 3–4 her, (3 heer), 4–5 eer(e, (3 eær, 4 eir, 5 eyer), 2–6 ear(e, 8–9 Sc. ear, 3–6 ar(e, 4 aar, 4–5 ayr(e, 4–9 Sc. air(e (see AIR adv.), (8 erron. e’er), 4– ere. β. 3–7 (9 arch.) or, 3–5 ore. γ. 4–5 ȝer(e, 6–7 yeer, yer. [OE. ǽr, corresp. to OFris., OS. êr (MDu. eer, êre, ee, Du. eer), OHG. êr (MHG. êr, ê, mod.G. eher, ehe), Goth. airis:—OTeut. *airiz, compar. degree of *air (Goth. air, ON. ár) adv., early. Some have suggested ultimate connection with Gr. *ἠρι- early in the morning: See also ERER and ERST.
The ME. spellings ar(e and or(e partly represent ON. ár (or an unrecorded OE. *ár without umlaut), and partly arise from ǽr through loss of stress.]
A. adv.
1. Used as positive. a. in OE. (late WS.): Early, at an early hour; b. since 15th c. only Sc. (forms air, ear): Early, soon: opposed to late.
a. 1000. Guthlac, 816 (Gr.). Hy to ær aþreat, Þæt hy waldendes willan læsten.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Mark xvi. 2. And swyðe ær anum reste-dæʓe comon to þære byrʓene.
c. 1200. Ormin, 6246. Beon ar & late o ȝunnkerr weorre.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 338. Ich hit do ungledliche, oðer to er, oðer to leate.
a. 1340. Cursor M., 25419 (Gött.). Are and late i will ȝu mon.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., VII. xxxiii. 143. Come I are; come I late.
1474. in Househ. Ord. (1790), 28. To be ere at his supper.
1578. Scot. Poems 16th C., II. 152. Thow art keiper lait and aire.
1795. H. MacNeill, Will & Jean. Baith ear’ and late, Will in briny grief lay steeping.
1879. G. Macdonald, Sir Gibbie, I. iv. 46. ‘Ye michtna be up ear eneuch to get yersel shaved afore kirk time.’
† 2. Sooner, at an earlier time. Obs.
α. a. 900. Charters, in O. E. Texts, 445. Gif he ʓewite er ðonne hia.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., John i. 15. Se ðe to cumenne is æfter me … wæs ær þonne ic.
c. 1400. Ywaine & Gaw., 1061. Bitwene this and the thrid night, And ar if that it are myght be.
1465. Paston Lett., No. 518, II. 218. I received the box … on Friday last and non er.
c. 1650. Merlin, 2094, in Furniv., Percy Folio, I. 497. & thou had comen eare, indeed, thou might haue found him in that stead.
β. 1526. Tindale, John i. 15. He that commeth after me, was before me because he was yer than I.
† 3. Sooner, rather, in preference. Obs.
α. c. 1200. [see C 2].
β. c. 1300. [see C 2].
γ. a. 1536. Tindale, Wks., II. 235. The flesh … would be exalted and lift up on high, yer than cast down.
† 4. Before, formerly, at a former time, on a former occasion; often preceded by ever, never. Also, A little while ago, just now.
α. c. 825. Vesp. Hymns, in O. E. Texts, 419. Ðæt mon ðu alesdes ðone ar soðlice ʓehiowades.
a. 900. Martyrol., ibid. 178. Fyr of heofonum … forbernde … alle ða ðe … ær tinterʓedon ðone halʓan wer.
a. 1000. Elene, 1285. Worda … eallra unsnyttro ær ʓesprecenra.
a. 1123. O. E. Chron., an. 1011. And þæt ealle þa on Engle lande heora land onʓean heafdon, þe hit ær þurh þone eorl forluron.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 5. Ȝe iherden er on þe godspel hu [etc.].
c. 1200. Ormin, 2349. Forr nass þat næfre fundenn ær Amang wimmenn onn erþe.
c. 1275. Lay., 6626. Ne cnew hine no man Þat hine heer hi-sehȝe hadde.
c. 1300. Harrow. Hell, 222. That y seyde er the to.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, IX. 442. Thai … war eir pouer and bare.
c. 1430. Pilgr. Lyf Manhode, I. c. (1869), 54. I se blood shed on þe scrippe þat neuere er j apperceyuede.
15[?]. Kyng & Hermit, 40, in Hazl., E. P. P. (1864), 14. Sych one saw I never are.
1557. Mylner of Abyngton, 82, ibid. III. 103. He myght not do as he dyd are.
1647. R. Stapylton, Juvenal, 259. A beane-hull, ere the praise of all the neighb’ring village.
β. c. 1340. Cursor M., 1402 (Trin.). Þo he [Adam] lowȝe but neuer ore. Ibid., 12147 (Trin.). Ȝe wondir on þat I seide ore.
15[?]. Childe of Bristowe, 342, in Hazl., E. P. P., I. 123. Into the chamber he went that tide, and knelid, as he dud ore.
γ. c. 1420. Chron. Vilod., 147. By conselle of Elmestone as I sayde ȝere.
c. 1450. Guy Warw. (C.), 60. Soche a mayde was neuer ȝere.
a. 1612. Harington, Epigrams, III. (1633), 42. Chaste Linus, but as valiant as a gander, Came to me yer,… Lamenting that I raised on him a slander.
b. First; before something else, or before anything else is done.
α. c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Matt. v. 24. Gang ær and ʓesybsuma wið þinne broðer.
β. c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 88. Fro ðat time we tellen ay, Or ðe niȝt and after ðe day.
c. 1300. Havelok, 728. But or he hauede michel shame.
B. prep.
1. Before (in time). Also in comb. † ere-yesterday, the day before yesterday.
α. a. 735[?]. (MS. a. 900) Bede’s Death Song, ibid. 149. Aer his hin iongae.
c. 825. Vesp. Psalter liv. 20 [lv. 19], in O. E. Texts, 263. God … se is ær weorulde and wunað in ecnisse.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Matt. xxiv. 38. Swa hi wærun on þam daʓum ær þam flode.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 17. Þet he icherre from þan uuelnesse ear his ende dei.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 11383 (Gött.). A tuelmoth are þe natiuite.
c. 1300. K. Alis., 344. Aboute mydnyght, ar the day … Scheo saw … a dragon adoun lyght.
1413. Lydg., Pylgr. Sowle, IV. xxii. (1483), 69. Yf thou er this tyme haddest done right.
1465. Paston Lett., No. 505, II. 194. Yf ye send to me contrary comaundement er that tyme.
1583. Golding, Calvin on Deut., clxxiii. 1076/1. Ere three dayes to an end, he had quite forgotten.
1647. Clarendon, Hist. Reb. (1702), I. V. 456. E’re that time.
1649. Lovelace, Poems, 22. Could you ascend yon Chaire of State e’re him?
1678. Dryden, All for Love, I. i. Our fruitful Nile Flow’d ere the wonted Season.
1819. Byron, Juan, I. i. Sent to the devil somewhat ere his time.
1884. W. C. Smith, Kildrostan, 45. He Nigh lost his wits ere morning.
β. c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 47. Or ani werldes time boren.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 114. A broþer of birþe born or hym-seluyn.
1439. R. Rochefort, in E. E. Wills (1883), 123. If … Margarete his wyff decesse or tyme Rauf his son comme at full age.
a. 1533. Ld. Berners, Huon, lxxxvi. 273. Though he haue or this tym sufferyd greate trauayle.
γ. c. 1430. Freemasonry, 160. Ȝe mowe hyt knowe long ȝer nyȝht.
1535. Coverdale, Gen. xxxi. 2. And Iacob behelde Labans countenaunce, & beholde, it was not towarde him as yesterdaye and yeryesterdaye.
b. In preference to, more than.
β. 1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XV. 502. Þe red noble Is reuerenced or þe Rode.
2. In the advb. phrases † ere þon, ere then, ere this, etc. (OE. ǽr ðon, ǽr ðissum), before then, before this. Also ERELONG, ERENOW, EREWHILE.
α. c. 897. K. Ælfred, Gregory’s Past., 7. Sio lar Lædenʓeðiodes ær ðissum afeallen wæs ȝiond Angelcynn.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 3. Moni of þan floc manna þe earþon fulieden ure drihten. Ibid., 11. We maȝen … ibeten ure sunne þet we abbet idon erþisse.
1297. R. Glouc. (1724), 501. Thou sedest vs ar this The priuete of thin herte.
c. 1315. Shoreham, 121. Thet unicorn … That erthange [read erthanne] was so wylde.
c. 1340. Cursor M., 9830 (Trin.). More selcouþe herde we neuer ar þis.
c. 1430. Chev. Assigne, 70. As I haue holde her er þis ‘our lorde so me helpe.’
1594. Plat, Jewell-ho., I. 59. We should haue had a sufficient ear this.
1667. Milton, P. L., IV. 970. Ere then Farr heavier load thyself expect to feel. Ibid., X. 240. If mishap [had attended him], Ere this he had return’d.
1776. Gibbon, Misc. Wks. (1814), II. 173. You have ere this heard of the … accident.
1826. Scott, Woodst., ii. I trust the King is ere this out of their reach.
1884. Pae, Eustace, 28. I should ere this have shaped into words the warm affection which existed in my heart.
γ. 1598. Hakluyt, Voy., I. 6. They might very well, yer this, haue surpassed … any particular Monarchie els.
C. conj. (or as part of conjunctional phrase).
1. Of time: Before.
† a. in conjunctional phrases, consisting (a) of the adv. with than; (b) of the prep. with pronominal regimen (OE. and early ME. þam þe, þon þe, þam, þan, þon; subsequently that). Obs.
α. a. 1000. Judith, 252, in Sweet, Ags. Rdr. (1884), 165. Ær ðon ðe him se eʓesa on ufan sæte Mæʓen Ebrea.
a. 1000. Happy Land, 38, ibid. 170. Næfre brosniað Leaf under lyfte … ær ðon edwenden Worulde ʓeweorðe.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Matt. v. 18. An prica ne ʓewit fram þære ær ærþam [c. 1160 Hatton ær þan] ealle þing ʓewurþan. Ibid., vi. 8. Eower fæder wat hwæt eow þearf ys ær þam þe ʓe hyne biddað.
c. 1200. Ormin, 9351. Ær þann þe Laferrd Jesu Crist Bigann owwþerr to donne.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 37. Er þonne þet child beo ifulȝed hit is þes deofles.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 296. Cwench hit … er þen hit waxe.
c. 1290. Lives Saints (1887), 52. Are þat heo were ded.
a. 1300. Havelok, 229. ‘In manus tuas, lou[er]de,’ he seyde, Her þat he þe speche leyde.
c. 1325. Chron. Eng., 7, in Ritson, Metr. Rom., II. 270. This lond wes cleped Albyon, Er then Bruyt from Troye com.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Frankl. T., 895. Now telleth me er that ye ferther wende.
1483. Vulgaria abs Terentio, 24 a. Night cam vpon me er than j myght com hydere a geyne.
1559. Baldwin, in Mirr. for Mag. (1563), H 1 a. Wherof she warnd prepared a myghty power, And ere that myne were altogether redy, Came swyft to Sandale and besieged my bower.
β. c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 2435. Or ðan he [Abraham] wiste off werlde faren, He bade hise kinde to him charen.
γ. 1526. Tindale, Gal. ii. 12. Yerre that certayne cam from James he [Peter] ate with the Gentyls.
b. hence as simple conj. arch. and dial.
α. Beowulf, 2019 (Gr.). Oft hio beah wriðan secʓe [sealde] ær hie to setle ʓeong.
971. Blickl. Hom., 47. On niht ær he ræste.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 9. Heo weren strongliche ibunden er ure drihten come to þisse liue.
a. 1225. Leg. Kath., 1393. To beon i-fulhtnet … ear we faren henne.
a. 1340. Hampole, Pr. Consc., 1051. Bot of þe mare world yhit wil I mare say, Ar I pas fra þis matir away.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. IV. 303. Thei asken hure huyre er þey hit haue deserued.
1430. Lydg., Chron. Troy, I. v. Are Titan his bemes reyse agayne We shall departe.
1483. Act 1 Rich. III., c. 8. Pream., Clothes so shorn er they be wette.
1581. Mulcaster, Positions, xxxiv. (1887), 122. Ear they entered into their exercise, and … ear they went to meat.
1611. Bible, John iv. 49. The noble man saith vnto him, Syr, come downe ere my child die.
1664. Evelyn, Kal. Hort. (1729), 190. It will be a long Time e’er your Graff produce any Fruits considerable.
1762–71. H. Walpole, Vertue’s Anecd. Paint. (1786), IV. 76. These promising abilities were cut off e’er they had reached their maturity.
1810. Scott, Lady of L., I. ii. Ere his fleet career he took, The dew-drops from his flanks he shook.
1870. E. Peacock, Ralf Skirl., II. 22. It was very late ere the party broke up.
β. c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 649. Or he [noe] was on werlde led, His kinde was wel wide spred.
c. 1340. Cursor M., 710 (Fairf.). Al þinges … ware of gretter strenȝt and piþ, or adam had for-done þe griþ.
1476. Paston Lett., No. 771, III. 152. iiij. howrs or he dyed.
c. 1570. Moral Play Wit & Sc. (Shaks. Soc.), 3. Wherfore, or I pas hens, now must I See thys same token heere. [Still very common dial.]
γ. 1526. Tindale, Rom. ix. 11. Yeer the children were borne.
1563–87. Foxe, A. & M. (1596), 109/1. The king laie after long sicke yer he were healed.
1609. Holland, Amm. Marcell., XXX. i. 379. He might be intercepted yer he was aware.
† c. with a redundant ere (in sense A. 4 b), or some equivalent word, belonging to the principal clause, though occasionally standing in the subordinate.
α. c. 1200. Ormin, 12694. Ær þann þe Laferrd fullhtnedd wass Ær wass he wunedd offte To cumenn till þe flumm.
1297. R. Glouc. (1724), 207. Ar hii come vpe þys hul, arst he wass ycome.
a. 1300. K. Horn, 546. Mid spere ischal furst ride … Ar ihc þe ginne to woȝe.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. V. 468. I shal seke treuthe arst ar I se Rome!
β. c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 658. Nine hundred ȝer and fifti told, or or he starf, noe was old.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 74. Or Roberd wist, or þouht on suilk a dede, Ore was his hous on fire.
c. 1400. Maundev. (1839), viii. 83. Before or þei resceyue hem, þei knelen doun.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., 131. Myn dede ere shuld I dyght, Or it were so.
d. with the addition of ever.
α. c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., A. 328. Schal I efte forgo hit er euer I fyne?
1529. More, Comf. agst. Trib., III. Wks. 1212/2. Before a gret storm the sea begynneth … to worke … ere euer the windes waxe boistous.
c. 1630. Drumm. of Hawth., Poems, Wks. 12. Er e’re she was, weep that day’s wheel was roll’d.
β. 1605. Shaks., Lear, II. iv. 289. This heart shal break into a hundred thousand flawes Or ere Ile weepe.
1611. Bible, Dan. vi. 24. The Lyons had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or euer they came at the bottome of the den.
1883. Swinburne, Cent. Roundels, 23. These, or ever man was, were.
2. Of preference: Sooner than, rather than. Sometimes with correlative adv. as in 1 c.
α. Beowulf, 1371 (Gr.). Ær he [sc. heorot] feorh seleð … on ofre, ær he in wille hafelan [hydan].
c. 1200. Ormin, 6316. Forr ær þeȝȝ wolldenn þolenn dæþ Ær þann þeȝȝ wolldenn gilltenn ohht Oanȝæness Godess wille.
c. 1230. Hali Meid., 45. Hu ha … þoleden stronge pines ear ha walden nimen ham.
c. 1330. King of Tars, 44. Rather wolde i spille my blod … Ar heo scholde wedde a Sarazyn.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. IV. 157. Er ich wedde such a wif, wo me by-tyde.
β. a. 1300. Cursor M., 9815 (Gött.). Or aght his herte brest o thrinne, Or fra his comandementis tuinne.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, IX. 594. In auenture till de He vald him put, or he vald fle.
† D. adj. Only in late OE. and ME.
1. The compounds in which OE. ǽr- has an adjectival force = ‘early,’ ‘former’ (see E. 1) were occasionally resolved, so that the first element was treated as a real adj., and inflected as such. For examples see E. 1.
2. Hence, rarely, the adjectival use occurs where it does not originate directly from composition.
a. 1400. Isumbras, 520. To mende hir are mysdede.
E. Comb.
1. With adjectival force, as OE. ǽrdæʓ (see DAY), early day, beginning of the day, also pl. ǽrdaʓas (in ME. as phrase are dawes), former days; OE. ǽerdǽd (see DEED), in ME. erdede, a former deed; OE. ǽrmorʓen (see MORN, MORROW), early morning, in phrase on ǽrmorʓen, ME. on armorowe, also (with adjectival flexion of the first element) OE. on ǽrne morʓen, ME. on erne marȝen, on arnemorwe; also ARETHEDE.
Beowulf, 253. Mid *ær-dæʓe.
a. 1000. Andreas, 220 (Gr.). Scealtu æninga mid ærdæʓe … Ceol ʓestiʓan.
a. 1000. Hymns, iii. 25 (Gr.). Þu eart se æðela, þe on ærdaʓum ealra fæmnena wyn faʓere akende on Bethleem.
c. 1300. Havelok, 27. It was a king bi are dawes.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Luke xxiii. 41. And wyt witodlice be uncer *ærdædum on-foð.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 153. Ech man shal understonden mede of his er-dede.
c. 1205. Lay., 8745. Nu þu scalt adreden for þine ær dæden [c. 1275 for þine erdede].
a. 1400. Octouian, 1808. Clement was made a knyght For hys er dedes.
a. 1000. Ps. lxii[i]. 6 (Gr.). Ic … on *ærmerʓen on þe eac ʓewene.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., xx. 1. Gelic þam hiredes ealdre þe on ærne merʓen ut-eode.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 115. Þa aldormen etað on erne marȝen ulaȝeliche.
c. 1300. K. Alis., 5458. The oost arist on erne morowe.
c. 1314. Guy Warw. (A.), 3391. An armorwe erliche Þemperour aros, sikerliche. Ibid., 5164. On arnemorwe þan come we.
Ere, var. of EAR obs. to plow.
1621. Bolton, Statutes Irel., 10. Labourers … to ere the ground.
Ereable, obs. form of EARABLE, arable.
