| 释义 |
▪ I. ere, n. pseudo-arch. rare—1.
(See quot.)
1866G. W. Dasent Gisli 23 They went out of their booth to the point of the ‘ere’ [footnote, ‘Ere’ old English for a sandy spit of land; from the Icelandic eyri].
▪ II. ere, adv., prep. and conj.|ɛə(r)|
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 connexion 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.
a1000Guthlac 816 (Gr.) Hy to ær aþreat, Þæt hy waldendes willan læsten. c1000Ags. Gosp. Mark xvi. 2 And swyðe ær anum reste-dæᵹe comon to þære byrᵹene. c1200Ormin 6246 Beon ar & late o ȝunnkerr weorrc. c1225Ancr. R. 338 Ich hit do ungledliche, oðer to er, oðer to leate. a1340Cursor M. 25419 (Gött.) Are and late i will ȝu mon. c1425Wyntoun Cron. vii. xxxiii. 143 Come I are; come I late. 1474in Househ. Ord. (1790) 28 To be ere at his supper. 1578Scot. Poems 16th C. II. 152 Thow art keiper lait and aire. 1795Macneill Will & Jean, Baith ear' and late, Will in briny grief lay steeping. 1879G. Macdonald Sir Gibbie I. iv. 46 ‘Ye michtna be up ear eneuch to get yer⁓self shaved afore kirktime.’
†2. Sooner, at an earlier time. Obs.
αa900Charters in O.E. Texts 445 Gif he ᵹewite er ðonne hia. c1000Ags. Gosp. John i. 15 Se ðe to cumenne is æfter me..wæs ær þonne ic. c1400Ywaine & Gaw. 1061 Bitwene this and the thrid night, And ar if that it are myght be. 1465Paston Lett. No. 518 II. 218, I received the box..on Friday last and non er. c1650Merlin 2094 in Furniv. Percy Folio I. 487, & thou had comen eare, indeed, thou might haue found him in that stead.
β1526Tindale John i. 15 He that commeth after me, was before me because he was yer than I.
†3. Sooner, rather, in preference. Obs.
αc1200[see C 2].
βc1300[see C 2].
γa1536Tindale 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.
αc825Vesp. Hymns in O.E. Texts 419 Ðæt mon ðu alesdes ðone ær soðlice ᵹehiowades. a900Martyrol. ibid. 178 Fyr of heofonum..forbernde..alle ða ðe..ær tinterᵹedon ðone halᵹan wer. a1000Elene 1285 Worda..eallra unsnyttro ær ᵹesprecenra. a1123O.E. Chron. an. 1101 And þæt ealle þa on Engle lande heora land onᵹean heafdon, þe hit ær þurh þone eorl forluron. c1175Lamb. Hom. 5 Ȝe iherden er on þe godspel hu, etc. c1200Ormin 2349 Forr nass þat næfre fundenn æ r Amang wimmenn onn erþe. c1275Lay. 6626 Ne cnew hine no man Þat hine heer hi-sehȝe hadde. c1300Harrow. Hell 222 That y seyde er the to. 1375Barbour Bruce ix. 442 Thai..war eir pouer and bare. c1430Pilgr. 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. 1557Myliner of Abyngton 82 ibid. III. 103 He myght not do as he dyd are. 1647R. Stapylton Juvenal 259 A beane-hull, ere the praise of all The neighb'ring village.
βc1340Cursor 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.
γc1420Chron. Vilod. 147 By conselle of Elmestone as I sayde ȝere. c1450Guy Warw. (C.) 60 Soche a mayde was neuer ȝere. a1612Harington 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.
αc1000Ags. Gosp. Matt. v. 24 Gang ær and ᵹesybsuma wið þinne broðer.
βc1250Gen. & Ex. 88 Fro ðat time we tellen ay, Or ðe niȝt and after ðe day. c1300Havelok 728 But or he hauede michel shame.
B. prep.
1. Before (in time). Also in comb. † ere-yesterday, the day before yesterday.
αa735(MS. a 900) Bede's Death Song ibid. 149 Aer his hin iongae. c825Vesp. Psalter liv. 20 [lv. 19] in O.E. Texts 263 God..se is ær weorulde and wunað in ecnisse. c1000Ags. Gosp. Matt. xxiv. 38 Swa hi wærun on þam daᵹum ær þam flode. c1175Lamb. Hom. 17 Þet he icherre from þan uuelnesse ear his ende dei. a1300Cursor M. 11383 (Gött.), A tuelmoth are þe natiuite. c1300K. Alis. 344 Aboute mydnyght, ar the day..Scheo saw..a dragon adoun lyght. 1413Lydg. Pilgr. Sowle iv. xxii. (1483) 69 Yf thou er this tyme haddest done right. 1465Paston Lett. No. 505 II. 194 Yf ye send to me contrary comaundement er that tyme. 1583Golding Calvin on Deut. clxxiii. 1076 Ere three dayes to an end he had quite forgotten. 1647Clarendon Hist. Reb. (1702) I. v. 456 E're that time. 1649Lovelace Poems 22 Could you ascend yon Chaire of State e're him? 1678Dryden All for Love i. i, Our fruitful Nile Flow'd ere the wonted Season. 1819Byron Juan i. i, Sent to the devil somewhat ere his time. 1884W. C. Smith Kildrostan 45 He Nigh lost his wits ere morning.
βc1250Gen. & Ex. 47 Or ani werldes time boren. c1400Destr. Troy 114 A broþer of birþe born or hym-seluyn. 1439R. Rochefort in E.E. Wills (1883) 123 If..Margarete his wyff decesse or tyme Rauf his son comme at full age. a1533Ld. Berners Huon lxxxvi. 273 Though he haue or this tym sufferyd greate trauayle.
γc1430Freemasonry 160 Ȝe mowe hyt knowe long ȝer nyȝht. 1535Coverdale Gen. xxxi. 2 And Iacob behelde Labans countenaunce, & beholde, it was not towarde him as yesterdaye and yeryesterdaye.
b. In preference to, more than.
β1377Langl. 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.
αc897K. ælfred Gregory's Past. 7 Sio lar Lædenᵹeðiodes ær ðissum afeallen wæs ȝiond Angelcynn. c1175Lamb. Hom. 3 Moni of þan floc manna þe earþon fulieden ure drihten. Ibid. 11 We maȝen..ibeten ure sunne þet we abbet idon erþisse. 1297R. Glouc. (1724) 501 Thou sedest vs ar this The priuete of thin herte. c1315Shoreham 121 Thet unicorn..That erthange [read erthanne] was so wylde. c1340Cursor M. 9830 (Trin.), More selcouþe herde we neuer ar þis. c1430Chev. Assigne 70 As I haue holde her er þis ‘our lorde so me helpe’. 1594Plat Jewell-ho. i. 59 We should haue had a sufficient ear this. 1667Milton 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. 1776Gibbon Misc. Wks. (1814) II. 173 You have ere this heard of the..accident. 1826Scott Woodst. ii, I trust the King is ere this out of their reach. 1884Pae Eustace 28, I should ere this have shaped into words the warm affection which..existed in my heart.
γ1598Hakluyt 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.
αa1000Judith 252 in Sweet Ags. Rdr. (1884) 165 ær ðon ðe him se eᵹesa on ufan sæte Mæᵹen Ebrea. a1000Happy Land 38 ibid. 170 Næfre brosniað Leaf under lyfte..ær ðon edwenden Worulde ᵹeweorðe. c1000Ags. Gosp. Matt. v. 18 An prica ne ᵹewit fram þære æ ærþam [c 1160 Hatton ær þan] ealle þing ᵹewurþan. Ibid. vi. 8 Eower fæder wat hwæt eow þearf ys ær þam þe ᵹe hyne biddað. c1200Ormin 9351 ær þann þe Laferrd Jesu Crist Bigann owwþerr to donne. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 37 Er þonne þet child beo ifulȝed hit is þes deofles. a1225Ancr. R. 296 Cwench hit..er þen hit waxe. c1290Lives Saints (1887) 52 Are þat heo were ded. a1300Havelok 229 ‘In manus tuas, lou[er]de,’ he seyde, Her þat he þe speche leyde. c1325Chron. Eng. in Ritson Met. Rom. II. 270 This lond wes cleped Albyon, Er then Bruyt from Troye com. c1386Chaucer Frankl. T. 895 Now telleth me er that ye ferther wende. 1483Vulgaria abs Terentio 24 a, Night cam vpon me er than j myght com hydere a geyne. 1559Baldwin 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.
βc1250Gen. & Ex. 2435 Or ðan he [Abraham] wiste off werlde faren, He bade hise kinde to him charen.
γ1526Tindale 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 secᵹe [sealde] ær hie to setle ᵹeong. 971Blickl. Hom. 47 On niht ær he ræste. c1175Lamb. Hom. 9 Heo weren strongliche ibunden er ure drihten come to þisse liue. a1225Leg. Kath. 1393 To beon i-fulhtnet..ear we faren henne. 1340Hampole Pr. Consc. 1051 Bot of þe mare world yhit wil I mare say, Ar I pas fra þis matir away. 1393Langl. P. Pl. C. iv. 303 Thei asken hure hyure er þey hit haue deserued. 1430Lydg. Chron. Troy i. v, Ar Titan his bemes reyse agayne We shall departe. 1483Act 1 Rich. III, c. 8 Pream., Clothes so shorn er they be wette. 1581Mulcaster Positions xxxiv. (1887) 122 Ear they entered into their exercise, and..ear they went to meat. 1611Bible John iv. 49 The noble man saith vnto him, Syr, come downe ere my child die. 1664Evelyn Kal. Hort. (1729) 190 It will be a long Time e'er your Graff produce any Fruits considerable. 1762–71H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Paint. (1786) IV. 76 These promising abilities were cut off e'er they had reached their maturity. 1810Scott Lady of L. i. ii, Ere his fleet career he took, The dew-drops from his flanks he shook. 1870E. Peacock Ralf Skirl. II. 22 It was very late ere the party broke up.
βc1250Gen. & Ex. 649 Or he [noe] was on werlde led, His kinde was wel wide spred. c1340Cursor M. 710 (Fairf.) Al þinges..ware of gretter strenȝt and piþ, or adam had for-done þe griþ. 1476Paston Lett. No. 771 III. 152, iiij howrs or he dyed. c1570Moral Play Wit & Sc. (Shaks. Soc.) 3 Wherfore, or I pas hens, now must I See thys same token heere. [Still very common dial.]
γ1526Tindale Rom. ix. 11 Yeer the children were borne. 1563–87Foxe A. & M. (1596) 109/1 The king laie after long sicke yer he were healed. 1609Holland Amm. Marcel. 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.
αc1200Ormin 12694 ær þann þe Laferrd fullhtnedd wass ær wass he wunedd offte To cumenn till þe flumm. 1297R. Glouc. (1724) 207 Ar hii come vpe þys hul, arst he wass ycome. a1300K. Horn 546 Mid spere ischal furst ride..Ar ihc þe ginne to woȝe. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. v. 468, I shal seke treuthe arst ar I se Rome!
βc1250Gen. & Ex. 658 Nine hundred ȝer and fifti told, or or he starf, noe was old. c1330R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 74 Or Roberd wist, or þouht on suilk a dede, Ore was his hous on fire. c1400Mandeville (1839) viii. 83 Before or þei resceyue hem, þei knelen doun. c1460Towneley Myst. 131 Myn dede ere shuld I dyght, Or it were so.
d. with the addition of ever.
αc1325E.E. Allit. P. A. 328 Schal I efte forgo hit er euer I fyne? 1529More Comf. agst. Trib. iii. Wks. 1212/2 Before a gret storm the sea begynneth..to worke..ere euer the windes waxe boistous. c1630Drummond of Hawthornden Poems Wks. 12 Er e're she was, weep that day's wheel was roll'd.
β1605Shakes. Lear ii. iv. 289 This heart shal break into a hundred thousand flawes Or ere Ile weepe. 1611Bible Dan. vi. 24 The Lyons..brake all their bones in pieces or euer they came at the bottome of the den. 1883Swinburne 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]. c1200Ormin 6316 Forr ær þeȝȝ wolldenn þolenn dæþ ær þann þeȝȝ wolldenn gilltenn ohht Onnȝæness Godess wille. c1230Hali Meid. 45 Hu ha..þoleden stronge pines ear ha walden nimen ham. c1330King of Tars 44 Rather wolde i spille my blod..Ar heo scholde wedde a Sarazyn. 1393Langl. P. Pl. C. iv. 157 Er ich wedde such a wif, wo me by-tyde.
βa1300Cursor M. 9815 (Gött.) Or aght his herte brest o thrinne, Or fra his comandementis tuinne. 1375Barbour 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.
a1400Isumbras 520 To mende hir are mysdede.
E. Comb.
1. With adjectival force, as OE. ǽrdæᵹ (see day), early day, beginning of the day, also pl. ǽrdaᵹas (in ME. as phrase are dawes), former days; OE. ǽrdǽd (see deed), in ME. erdede, a former deed; OE. ǽrmorᵹen (see morn, morrow), early morning, in phrase on ǽrmorᵹen, ME. on armorowe, also (with adjectival flexion of the first element) OE. on ǽrne morᵹen, ME. on erne marȝen, on arnemorwe; also arethede.
Beowulf 253 Mid *ær-dæᵹe. a1000Andreas 220 (Gr.) Scealtu æninga mid ærdæᵹe..Ceol ᵹestiᵹan. a1000Hymns iii. 25 (Gr.) Þu eart se æðela, þe on ærdaᵹum ealra fæmnena wyn fæᵹere akende on Bethleem. c1300Havelok 27 It was a king bi are dawes.
c1000Ags. Gosp. Luke xxiii. 41 And wyt witodlice be uncer *ærdædum on-foð. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 153 Ech man shal understonden mede of his er-dede. c1205Lay. 8745 Nu þu scalt adreden for þine ær dæden [c 1275 for þine erdede]. a1400Octouian 1808 Clement was made a knyght For hys er dedes.
a1000Ps. lxii[i]. 6 (Gr.) Ic..on *æmerᵹen on þe eac ᵹewene. c1000Ags. Gosp. Matt. xx. 1 Gelic þam hiredes ealdre þe on ærne merᵹen ut-eode. c1175Lamb. Hom. 115 Þa aldormen etað on erne marȝen ulaȝeliche. c1300K. Alis. 5458 The oost arist on erne morowe. c1314Guy Warw. (A.) 3391 An armorwe erliche Þemperour aros, sikerliche. Ibid. 5164 On anemorwe þan come we.
2. With prepositional force: see erelong, erenow, erewhile; also ere-yesterday in B 1.
▪ III. ere
var. of ear obs. to plough.
1621Bolton Statutes Irel. 10 Labourers..to ere the ground.
▪ IV. ere
obs. f. are: see be v.; also of ever. |