ereadv.¹prep.conj.adj.

Brit.

/ɛː/, U.S.

/ɛr/

Forms: α. Old English–Middle English ær, (Middle English ære), Old English–1500s er, Middle English her, (Middle English heer), Middle English eer(e, (Middle English eær, Middle English eir, Middle English eyer), Middle English–1500s ear(e, 1700s–1800s Scottish ear, Middle English–1500s ar(e, Middle English aar, Middle English ayr(e, Middle English–1800s Scottish air(e, (1700s e'er), Middle English– ere. β. Middle English–1600s (1800s archaic) or, Middle English ore. γ. Middle English ȝer(e, 1500s–1600s yeer, yer.

Etymology: Old English ǽr , corresponding to Old Frisian, Old Saxon êr (Middle Dutch eer , êre , ee , Dutch eer ), Old High German êr (Middle High German êr , ê , modern German eher , ehe ), Gothic airis < Old Germanic *airiz , comparative of *air (Gothic air , Old Norse ár ) adverb, early. Some have suggested ultimate connection with Greek ἠρι- early in the morning. See also erer adj. and adv. and erst adj. and adv.The Middle English spellings ar(e and or(e partly represent Old Norse ár (or an unrecorded Old English *ár without umlaut), and partly arise < ǽr through loss of stress.

A. adv.¹

1. Used as positive: (a) in Old English (late West Saxon): early, at an early hour; (b) since 15th cent. only Scottish (forms air, ear): early, soon: opposed to late.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > day and night > day or daytime > morning > [adverb]

earlyOE

orOE

ereOE

amornOE

amorrowc1275

rathec1275

betimea1300

morningc1325

of (also in, on) morningsc1395

a-morninga1400

a-morningsc1400

betimes1481

morningly1560

in the morning1562

ante meridiem1563

timeous1566

rare1574

in a morning1591

rearly1596

timeouslyc1600

mornly1605

a.m.1651

rear1714

antemeridian1770

bright and early1805

matutinely1833

matutinally1897

ack emma1918

OE Guthlac B 844 Hy to ær aþreat þæt hy waldendes willan læsten.

c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Mark (Corpus Cambr.) xvi. 2 And swyðe ær anum reste-dæge comon to þære byrgene.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 6242 Beon ar. & late onn ȝunnkerr weorrc.

c1230 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Corpus Cambr.) (1962) 172 Ich hit do ungleadliche. oþer to ear oðer to leate.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 25419 (MED) Are and late i will ȝu mon.

c1425 Wyntoun Cron. vii. xxxiii. 143 Come I are; come I late.

1474 in Coll. Ordinances Royal Househ. (1790) *28 To be ere at his supper.

1578 in J. G. Dalyell Scotish Poems 16th Cent. (1801) II. 152 Thow art keiper lait and aire.

1796 H. Macneill Waes o' War ii. 18 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 yer~self shaved afore kirktime.’

†2. Sooner, at an earlier time. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [adverb]

erea900

beforeeOE

forec1000

toforec1175

therebeforec1200

toforehand1258

forne toc1275

orc1275

andersitha1300

alreadyc1300

rather?1316

beforehandc1330

erstc1330

aforec1350

theretoforea1375

aforehanda1387

forthwitha1400

forwitha1400

or?a1400

ereward14..

toforetimec1400

aforetimes1429

aforetime1433

afore seasons1463

heretoforetime1481

forouth1487

aforrow?a1513

beforrow1568

paravant1590

antecedently1593

formerly1596

precedently1611

preveniently1633

preallably1652

previously1655

precedaneously1657

somewhiles1657

antecedaneously1661

aft1674

prior1675

anteriorly1681

antecedent1690

previous1712

priorly1742

α.

a900 Charters in Old Eng. Texts 445 Gif he gewite er ðonne hia.

c1000 West Saxon Gospels: John (Corpus Cambr.) i. 15 Se ðe to cumenne is æfter me..wæs ær þonne ic.

c1400 Ywaine & Gaw. 1061 Bitwene this and the thrid night, And ar if that it are myght be.

1465 M. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 314 I receuyed the box..on Friday last past and non er.

c1650 Merlin 2094 in Furniv. Percy Folio I. 487 & thou had comen eare, indeed, thou might haue found him in that stead.

β. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) John i. f. cxix^v He that commeth after me, was before me be cause he was yer then I.

†3. Sooner, rather, in preference. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > a suitable time or opportunity > [adverb] > soon or quickly

soonc825

cofeOE

erec1175

rada1325

soonlyc1475

hastilyc1550

hastyc1550

erelong1577

before long1585

bumbye1727

α. c1175 [see sense C. 2α. ].

β. a1400 [see sense C. 2β. ]. γ. a1536 W. Tyndale Wks. II. 235 The flesh..would be exalted and lift up on high, yer than cast down.

†4.

a. Before, formerly, at a former time, on a former occasion; often preceded by ever, never. Also in of ere (see of prep. Phrases 1b). Also: A little while ago, just now.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the past > [adverb]

erea822

fernOE

whileOE

erera1000

whilereOE

onceOE

somewhile1154

whilomc1175

herebeforec1200

somewhilesa1250

yorea1250

orc1275

rather?a1300

erewhilec1305

sometimea1325

sometimec1330

at or in sometime1340

in arrear1340

heretoforea1375

fernyear1377

once upon a timec1380

behinds1382

beforetimea1393

of olda1393

erenow1393

umquhilea1400

erst14..

fornec1400

yore whilec1400

of before1402

late1423

abefore1431

beforetimes1449

whilesc1480

sometime1490

aforrow?a1513

behind1526

quondamc1540

in foretime(s?c1550

erstwhile1569

erstwhiles1569

aleare1581

erewhiles1584

sometimes1597

formerly1599

anciently1624

olim1645

somewhile since1652

quondamly1663

forepassed1664

sometimea1684

backward1691

historically1753

time back1812

had-been1835

when1962

α.

a822 Anglo-Saxon Chron. ann. 797 And eft wæs papa swa he ær wæs.

c825 Vesp. Hymns in Old Eng. Texts 419 Ðæt mon ðu alesdes ðone ær soðlice gehiowades.

a900 Martyrol. in Old Eng. Texts 178 Fyr of heofonum..forbernde..alle ða ðe..ær tintergedon ðone halgan wer.

OE Cynewulf Elene 1285 Sceall æghwyle ðær reordberendra riht gehyran dæda gehwylcra þurh þæs deman muð, ond worda swa same wed gesyllan, eallra unsnyttro ær gesprecenra.

a1123 Anglo-Saxon Chron. ann. 1101 And þæt ealle þa on Engle lande heora land ongean heafdon, þe hit ær þurh þone eorl forluron.

c1175 Lamb. Hom. 5 Ȝe iherden er on þe godspel hu, etc.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 2349 Forr nass þatt næfre fundenn ær. Amang wimmenn onn erþe.

c1275 Laȝamon Brut 6626 Ne cnew hine no man Þat hine heer hi-sehȝe hadde.

c1300 Harrow. Hell 222 That y seyde er the to.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) 10748 If he spoused were of ere.

c1430 Pilgr. Lyf Manhode (1869) i. c. 54 I se blood shed on þe scrippe þat neuere er j apperceyuede.

1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) ix. 442 Thai..war eir [1489 Adv. er] pouer and bare.

c1500 King & Hermit in M. M. Furrow Ten 15th-cent. Comic Poems (1985) 249 Sych one saw I neuer are.

c1580 Merye Hist. Mylner Abyngton (new ed.) sig. A.iij He myght not do as he [d]yd are.

1647 R. Stapleton tr. Juvenal Sixteen Satyrs 259 A beane-hull, ere the praise of all The neighb'ring village.

β. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 1402 Þo he [sc. Adam] lowȝe but neuer ore.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 12147 Ȝe wondir on þat I seide ore.15.. Childe of Bristowe 342 in W. C. Hazlitt Remains Early Pop. Poetry Eng. (1864) I. 123 Into the chamber he went that tide, and knelid, as he dud ore.γ. c1420 Chron. Vilod. 147 By conselle of Elmestone as I sayde ȝere.c1450 Guy Warw. (C.) 60 Soche a mayde was neuer ȝere.

b. First; before something else, or before anything else is done.

ΚΠ

α.

c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) v. 24 Gang ær and gesybsuma wið þinne broðer.

β. c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 728 But or he hauede michel shame.a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 88 Fro ðat time we tellen ay Or ðe nigt and after ðe day.

B. prep.

a. Before (in time). Also in compounds. † ere-yesterday n. Obsolete the day before yesterday.

ΚΠ

α.

c825 Vesp. Psalter liv. 20 [lv. 19] in Sweet Old Eng. Texts 263 God..se is ær weorulde and wunað in ecnisse.

eOE (Northumbrian) Bede's Death Song (St. Gallen) 3 Aer his hiniongae.

c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xxiv. 38 Swa hi wærun on þam dagum ær þam flode.

c1175 Lamb. Hom. 17 Þet he icherre from þan uuelnesse ear his ende dei.

c1300 K. Alis. 344 Aboute mydnyght, ar the day..Scheo saw..a dragon adoun lyght.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 11383 A tuelmoth are þe natiuite.

1413 J. Lydgate Pilgr. of Sowle (1483) iv. xxii. 69 Yf thou er this tyme haddest done right.

1465 M. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 303 Yf ye send to me contrary comaundement ere that tyme.

1583 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Deuteronomie clxxiii. 1076 Ere three dayes to an end he had quite forgotten.

1649 R. Lovelace Lucasta: Epodes, Odes, Sonnets, Songs 22 Could you ascend yon Chaire of State e're him?

1678 J. Dryden All for Love i. 1 Our fruitful Nile Flow'd ere the wonted Season.

1702 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion I. v. 456 E're that time.

1819 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto I i. 3 Sent to the devil somewhat ere his time.

1884 W. C. Smith Kildrostan 45 He Nigh lost his wits ere morning.

β. a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 48 Or ani werldes time boren.1439 R. Rochefort in F. J. Furnivall Fifty Earliest Eng. Wills (1882) 123 If..Margarete his wyff decesse or tyme Rauf his son comme at full age.c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) lxxxvi. 273 Though he haue or this tym sufferyd greate trauayle.c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 114 A broþer of birþe born or hym-seluyn.γ. c1430 Freemasonry 160 Ȝe mowe hyt knowe long ȝer nyȝht.1535 Bible (Coverdale) Gen. xxxi. A And Iacob behelde Labans countenaunce, & beholde, it was not towarde him as yesterdaye and yeryesterdaye.

b. In preference to, more than.

ΚΠ

β.

1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. xv. 502 Þe red noble Is reuerenced or þe Rode.

2. In the adverbial phrases †ere þon, ere then, ere this, etc. (Old English ǽr ðon, ǽr ðissum), before then, before this. Also erelong adv., erenow adv., erewhile adv.

ΚΠ

α.

c897 K. Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care 7 Sio lar Lædengeðiodes ær ðissum afeallen wæs ȝiond Angelcynn.

c1175 Lamb. Hom. 3 Moni of þan floc manna þe earþon fulieden ure drihten.

c1175 Lamb. Hom. 11 We maȝen..ibeten ure sunne þet we abbet idon erþisse.

1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (1724) 501 Thou sedest vs ar this The priuete of thin herte.

c1315 Shoreham 121 Thet unicorn..That erthange [read erthanne] was so wylde.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 9830 More selcouþe herde we neuer ar þis.

c1430 Chev. Assigne 70 As I haue holde her er þis ‘our lorde so me helpe’.

1594 H. Plat Diuerse Sorts of Soyle 59 in Jewell House We should haue had a sufficient triall ear this.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iv. 971 Ere then Farr heavier load thy self expect to feel.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost x. 240 If mishap [had attended him], Ere this he had return'd.

1776 E. Gibbon Misc. Wks. (1814) II. 173 You have ere this heard of the..accident.

1826 W. Scott Woodstock I. ii. 36 I trust the King is ere this out of their reach.

1884 D. Pae Eustace 28 I should ere this have shaped into words the warm affection which..existed in my heart.

γ. 1598 R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (new ed.) 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 adverb with than; (b) of the preposition with pronominal regimen (Old English and early Middle English þam þe, þon þe, þam, þan, þon; subsequently that). Obsolete.

ΚΠ

α.

a1000 Happy Land 38 in Sweet Ags. Rdr. (1884) 170 Næfre brosniað Leaf under lyfte..ær ðon edwenden Worulde geweorðe.

OE Judith 252 Hofgedon aninga hyra hlaforde holde bodian, ærðon ðe him se egesa on ufan sæte, mægen Ebrea.

c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) v. 18 An prica ne gewit fram þære æ ærþam [c1160 Hatton ær þan] ealle þing gewurþan.

c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) vi. 8 Eower fæder wat hwæt eow þearf ys ær þam þe ge hyne biddað.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 9351 Ær þann þe laferrd iesu crist. Bigann owwþerr to donne.

c1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 37 Er þonne þet child beo ifulȝed hit is þes deofles.

?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 218 Cwenh hit..ear þenne hit waxe.

c1290 Lives Saints (1887) 52 Are þat heo were ded.

a1300 Havelok 229 ‘In manus tuas, lou[er]de,’ he seyde, Her þat he þe speche leyde.

c1325 Chron. Eng. 270 in J. Ritson Anc. Eng. Metrical Romanceës (1802) II This lond wes cleped Albyon, Er then Bruyt from Troye com.

c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Franklin's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 907 Now telleth me er that ye ferther wende.

1483 Vulgaria abs Terencio (T. Rood & T. Hunte) sig. pvii^v Night cam vpon me er than j myght com hydere a geyne.

1559 W. Baldwin et al. Myrroure for Magistrates Richard Dk. York f. lxi Wherof she warnde prepared a mighty power, And ere that mane were altogether redy, Came bold to Bosworth and besieged my bower.

β. a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2435 Or ðan he [sc. Abraham] wiste off werlde faren, He bad hise kinde to him charen.γ. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Gal. ii. 12 Yerre that certayne cam from James he [Peter] ate with the Gentyls.

b. hence as simple conj. archaic and dialect.

ΚΠ

α.

971 Blickl. Hom. 47 On niht ær he ræste.

OE Beowulf 2019 Oft hio beahwriðan secge (sealde), ær hie to setle geong.

c1175 Lamb. Hom. 9 Heo weren strongliche ibunden er ure drihten come to þisse liue.

a1225 Leg. Kath. 1393 To beon i-fulhtnet..ear we faren henne.

1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 1051 Bot of þe mare world yhit wil I mare say, Ar I pas fra þis matir away.

1393 W. Langland Piers Plowman C. iv. 303 Thei asken hure hyure er þey hit haue deserued.

1430 J. Lydgate tr. Hist. Troy i. v Ar Titan his bemes reyse agayne We shall departe.

1483 Act 1 Rich. III c. 8 Pream. Clothes so shorn er they be wette.

1581 R. Mulcaster Positions xxxiv. 121 Ear they entred into their exercise, and..ear they went to meat.

1611 Bible (King James) John iv. 49 The noble man saith vnto him, Syr, come downe ere my child die.

1691 J. Evelyn Kalendarium Hortense (ed. 8) 16 It will be a long time e'er your Graff produce any Fruits considerable.

1780 H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Painting (ed. 2) IV. i. 36 These promising abilities were cut off e'er they had reached their maturity.

1810 W. Scott Lady of Lake i. 6 E'er his fleet career he took, The dew-drops from his flanks he shook.

1870 E. Peacock Ralf Skirlaugh II. 22 It was very late ere the party broke up.

β. a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 649 Or he [noe] was on werlde led, His kinde was wel wide spred.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 710 Al þinges..ware of gretter strenȝt and piþ, or adam had for-done þe griþ.1476 J. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 491 iiij howrys ore he dyed.a1547 J. Redford Moral Play Wit & Sci. (1848) 3 Wherfore, or I pas hens, now must I See thys same token heere. [Still very common dial.]γ. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Rom. ix. 11 Yeer the children were borne.1609 P. Holland tr. Ammianus Marcellinus Rom. Hist. xxx. i. 379 He might be intercepted yer he was aware.

†c. with a redundant ere (in sense A. 4b), or some equivalent word, belonging to the principal clause, though occasionally standing in the subordinate.

ΚΠ

α.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 12694 Ær þann þe laferrd fullhtnedd wass Ær wass he wunedd offte. To cumenn till þe flumm.

1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (1724) 207 Ar hii come vpe þys hul, arst he wass ycome.

a1300 K. Horn 546 Mid spere ischal furst ride..Ar ihc þe ginne to woȝe.

1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. v. 468 I shal seke treuthe arst ar I se Rome!

β. a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 658 .ix. hundred ger and fifti told, Or or he starf, noe was old.c1330 R. Mannyng Chron. (1810) 74 Or Roberd wist, or þouht on suilk a dede, Ore was his hous on fire.c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (1839) viii. 83 Before or þei resceyue hem, þei knelen doun.a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xiv. 172 Myn dede ere shuld I dyght Or it were so.

d. with the addition of ever.

ΚΠ

α.

c1400 (?c1380) Pearl l. 328 Schal I efte forgo hit er euer I fyne?

a1535 T. More Dialoge of Comfort (1553) iii. sig. N.iii Before a greate storme the sea begynneth..to worke..ere euer the wynde waxe boysteous.

?1614 W. Drummond Song: It Autumne was in Poems Ere e're she was, weepe that Dayes wheele was roll'd.

β. 1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear vii. 445 This heart shall breake, in a 100. thousand flowes Or ere ile weepe.1611 Bible (King James) Dan. vi. 24 The Lyons..brake all their bones in pieces or euer they came at the bottome of the den. 1883 A. C. Swinburne Cent. Roundels 23 These, or ever man was, were.

2. Of preference: Sooner than, rather than. Sometimes with correlative adverb as in C. 1c.

ΚΠ

α.

OE Beowulf 1371 Ær he feorh seleð, aldor on ofre, ær he in wille, hafelan [beorgan].

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 6316 Forr ær þeȝȝ wolldenn þolenn dæþ... Ær þann þeȝȝ wolldenn gilltenn ohht. Onnȝæness godess wille.

c1230 Hali Meid. 45 Hu ha..þoleden stronge pines ear ha walden nimen ham.

c1330 King of Tars 44 Rather wolde i spille my blod..Ar heo scholde wedde a Sarazyn.

1393 W. Langland Piers Plowman C. iv. 157 Er ich wedde such a wif, wo me by-tyde.

β. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 9815 Or aght his herte brest o thrinne, Or fra his comandementis tuinne.1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) ix. 594 In auenture till de He vald him put, or he vald fle.

†D. adj. Only in late Old English and Middle English.

Thesaurus »

1. The compounds in which Old English ǽr- has an adjectival force = ‘early’, ‘former’ (see Compounds 1) were occasionally resolved, so that the first element was treated as a real adjective, and inflected as such. For examples see Compounds 1.

2. Hence, rarely, the adjectival use occurs where it does not originate directly from composition.

ΚΠ

a1400 Isumbras 520 To mende hir are mysdede.

Compounds

C1. With adjectival force, as also arethede n.

† ere-day n. [Old English ǣrdæg] Obsolete (see day n.), early day, beginning of the day, also plural ǣrdagas (in Middle English as phrase are dawes), former days.

ΚΠ

OE Andreas (1932) 220 Scealtu æninga mid ærdæge, emne to morgene, æt meres ende ceol gestigan ond on cald wæter brecan ofer bæðweg.

OE Beowulf 126 Mid ærdæge.

a1000 Hymns (Gr.) iii. 25 Þu eart se æðela, þe on ærdagum ealra fæmnena wyn fægere akende on Bethleem.

c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 27 It was a king bi are dawes.

† ere-deed n. [Old English ǣrdǣd] Obsolete (see deed n.), in Middle English erdede, a former deed.

ΚΠ

c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) xxiii. 41 And wyt witodlice be uncer ærdædum on-foð.

c1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 153 Ech man shal understonden mede of his er-dede.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 4361 Nu þu scalt adreden for þine ær-dæden[c1300 Otho for þine erdede].

a1400 Octouian 1808 Clement was made a knyght For hys er dedes.

† ere-morrow n. [Old English ǣrmorgen] Obsolete (see morn n., morrow n. and int.), early morning, in phrase on ǣrmorgen, Middle English on armorowe, also (with adjectival flexion of the first element) Old English on ǣrne morgen, Middle English on erne marȝen, on arnemorwe.

ΚΠ

a1000 Ps. (Gr.) lxii[i]. 6 Ic..on æmergen on þe eac gewene.

c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xx. 1 Gelic þam hiredes ealdre þe on ærne mergen ut-eode.

c1175 Lamb. Hom. 115 Þa aldormen etað on erne marȝen ulaȝeliche.

c1300 K. Alis. 5458 The oost arist on erne morowe.

c1330 (?c1300) Guy of Warwick (Auch.) l. 5164 On arnemorwe þan come we.

c1330 (?c1300) Guy of Warwick (Auch.) l. 3391 An armorwe erliche Þemperour aros, sikerliche.

C2. With prepositional force: see erelong adv., erenow adv., erewhile adv.; also ere-yesterday in B 1.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	ere
释义	eren. Etymology: < Old Icelandic eyrr (see ayre n.). pseudo-archaic. rare. (See quot. 1866.) ΚΠ 1866 G. W. Dasent Gisli 23 They went out of their booth to the point of the ‘ere’ [Note] ‘Ere’ old English for a sandy spit of land; from the Icelandic eyri. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online June 2021). ereadv.¹prep.conj.adj. Brit. /ɛː/, U.S. /ɛr/ Forms: α. Old English–Middle English ær, (Middle English ære), Old English–1500s er, Middle English her, (Middle English heer), Middle English eer(e, (Middle English eær, Middle English eir, Middle English eyer), Middle English–1500s ear(e, 1700s–1800s Scottish ear, Middle English–1500s ar(e, Middle English aar, Middle English ayr(e, Middle English–1800s Scottish air(e, (1700s e'er), Middle English– ere. β. Middle English–1600s (1800s archaic) or, Middle English ore. γ. Middle English ȝer(e, 1500s–1600s yeer, yer. Etymology: Old English ǽr , corresponding to Old Frisian, Old Saxon êr (Middle Dutch eer , êre , ee , Dutch eer ), Old High German êr (Middle High German êr , ê , modern German eher , ehe ), Gothic airis < Old Germanic airiz , comparative of air (Gothic air , Old Norse ár ) adverb, early. Some have suggested ultimate connection with Greek ἠρι- early in the morning. See also erer adj. and adv. and erst adj. and adv.The Middle English spellings ar(e and or(e partly represent Old Norse ár (or an unrecorded Old English ár without umlaut), and partly arise < ǽr through loss of stress. A. adv.¹ 1. Used as positive: (a)* in Old English (late West Saxon): early, at an early hour; (b) since 15th cent. only Scottish (forms air, ear): early, soon: opposed to late. ΘΚΠ the world > time > day and night > day or daytime > morning > [adverb] earlyOE orOE ereOE amornOE amorrowc1275 rathec1275 betimea1300 morningc1325 of (also in, on) morningsc1395 a-morninga1400 a-morningsc1400 betimes1481 morningly1560 in the morning1562 ante meridiem1563 timeous1566 rare1574 in a morning1591 rearly1596 timeouslyc1600 mornly1605 a.m.1651 rear1714 antemeridian1770 bright and early1805 matutinely1833 matutinally1897 ack emma1918 OE Guthlac B 844 Hy to ær aþreat þæt hy waldendes willan læsten. c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Mark (Corpus Cambr.) xvi. 2 And swyðe ær anum reste-dæge comon to þære byrgene. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 6242 Beon ar. & late onn ȝunnkerr weorrc. c1230 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Corpus Cambr.) (1962) 172 Ich hit do ungleadliche. oþer to ear oðer to leate. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 25419 (MED) Are and late i will ȝu mon. c1425 Wyntoun Cron. vii. xxxiii. 143 Come I are; come I late. 1474 in Coll. Ordinances Royal Househ. (1790) 28 To be ere at his supper. 1578 in J. G. Dalyell Scotish Poems 16th Cent.* (1801) II. 152 Thow art keiper lait and aire. 1796 H. Macneill Waes o' War ii. 18 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 yer~self shaved afore kirktime.’ †2. Sooner, at an earlier time. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > [adverb] erea900 beforeeOE forec1000 toforec1175 therebeforec1200 toforehand1258 forne toc1275 orc1275 andersitha1300 alreadyc1300 rather?1316 beforehandc1330 erstc1330 aforec1350 theretoforea1375 aforehanda1387 forthwitha1400 forwitha1400 or?a1400 ereward14.. toforetimec1400 aforetimes1429 aforetime1433 afore seasons1463 heretoforetime1481 forouth1487 aforrow?a1513 beforrow1568 paravant1590 antecedently1593 formerly1596 precedently1611 preveniently1633 preallably1652 previously1655 precedaneously1657 somewhiles1657 antecedaneously1661 aft1674 prior1675 anteriorly1681 antecedent1690 previous1712 priorly1742 α. a900 Charters in Old Eng. Texts 445 Gif he gewite er ðonne hia. c1000 West Saxon Gospels: John (Corpus Cambr.) i. 15 Se ðe to cumenne is æfter me..wæs ær þonne ic. c1400 Ywaine & Gaw. 1061 Bitwene this and the thrid night, And ar if that it are myght be. 1465 M. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 314 I receuyed the box..on Friday last past and non er. c1650 Merlin 2094 in Furniv. Percy Folio I. 487 & thou had comen eare, indeed, thou might haue found him in that stead. β. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) John i. f. cxix^v He that commeth after me, was before me be cause he was yer then I. †3. Sooner, rather, in preference. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > time > a suitable time or opportunity > [adverb] > soon or quickly soonc825 cofeOE erec1175 rada1325 soonlyc1475 hastilyc1550 hastyc1550 erelong1577 before long1585 bumbye1727 α. c1175 [see sense C. 2α. ]. β. a1400 [see sense C. 2β. ]. γ. a1536 W. Tyndale Wks. II. 235 The flesh..would be exalted and lift up on high, yer than cast down. †4. a. Before, formerly, at a former time, on a former occasion; often preceded by ever, never. Also in of ere (see of prep. Phrases 1b). Also: A little while ago, just now. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the past > [adverb] erea822 fernOE whileOE erera1000 whilereOE onceOE somewhile1154 whilomc1175 herebeforec1200 somewhilesa1250 yorea1250 orc1275 rather?a1300 erewhilec1305 sometimea1325 sometimec1330 at or in sometime1340 in arrear1340 heretoforea1375 fernyear1377 once upon a timec1380 behinds1382 beforetimea1393 of olda1393 erenow1393 umquhilea1400 erst14.. fornec1400 yore whilec1400 of before1402 late1423 abefore1431 beforetimes1449 whilesc1480 sometime1490 aforrow?a1513 behind1526 quondamc1540 in foretime(s?c1550 erstwhile1569 erstwhiles1569 aleare1581 erewhiles1584 sometimes1597 formerly1599 anciently1624 olim1645 somewhile since1652 quondamly1663 forepassed1664 sometimea1684 backward1691 historically1753 time back1812 had-been1835 when1962 α. a822 Anglo-Saxon Chron. ann. 797 And eft wæs papa swa he ær wæs. c825 Vesp. Hymns in Old Eng. Texts 419 Ðæt mon ðu alesdes ðone ær soðlice gehiowades. a900 Martyrol. in Old Eng. Texts 178 Fyr of heofonum..forbernde..alle ða ðe..ær tintergedon ðone halgan wer. OE Cynewulf Elene 1285 Sceall æghwyle ðær reordberendra riht gehyran dæda gehwylcra þurh þæs deman muð, ond worda swa same wed gesyllan, eallra unsnyttro ær gesprecenra. a1123 Anglo-Saxon Chron. ann. 1101 And þæt ealle þa on Engle lande heora land ongean heafdon, þe hit ær þurh þone eorl forluron. c1175 Lamb. Hom. 5 Ȝe iherden er on þe godspel hu, etc. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 2349 Forr nass þatt næfre fundenn ær. Amang wimmenn onn erþe. c1275 Laȝamon Brut 6626 Ne cnew hine no man Þat hine heer hi-sehȝe hadde. c1300 Harrow. Hell 222 That y seyde er the to. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) 10748 If he spoused were of ere. c1430 Pilgr. Lyf Manhode (1869) i. c. 54 I se blood shed on þe scrippe þat neuere er j apperceyuede. 1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) ix. 442 Thai..war eir [1489 Adv. er] pouer and bare. c1500 King & Hermit in M. M. Furrow Ten 15th-cent. Comic Poems (1985) 249 Sych one saw I neuer are. c1580 Merye Hist. Mylner Abyngton (new ed.) sig. A.iij He myght not do as he [d]yd are. 1647 R. Stapleton tr. Juvenal Sixteen Satyrs 259 A beane-hull, ere the praise of all The neighb'ring village. β. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 1402 Þo he [sc. Adam] lowȝe but neuer ore.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 12147 Ȝe wondir on þat I seide ore.15.. Childe of Bristowe 342 in W. C. Hazlitt Remains Early Pop. Poetry Eng. (1864) I. 123 Into the chamber he went that tide, and knelid, as he dud ore.γ. c1420 Chron. Vilod. 147 By conselle of Elmestone as I sayde ȝere.c1450 Guy Warw. (C.) 60 Soche a mayde was neuer ȝere. b. First; before something else, or before anything else is done. ΚΠ α. c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) v. 24 Gang ær and gesybsuma wið þinne broðer. β. c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 728 But or he hauede michel shame.a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 88 Fro ðat time we tellen ay Or ðe nigt and after ðe day. B. prep. 1. a. Before (in time). Also in compounds. † ere-yesterday n. Obsolete the day before yesterday. ΚΠ α. c825 Vesp. Psalter liv. 20 [lv. 19] in Sweet Old Eng. Texts 263 God..se is ær weorulde and wunað in ecnisse. eOE (Northumbrian) Bede's Death Song (St. Gallen) 3 Aer his hiniongae. c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xxiv. 38 Swa hi wærun on þam dagum ær þam flode. c1175 Lamb. Hom. 17 Þet he icherre from þan uuelnesse ear his ende dei. c1300 K. Alis. 344 Aboute mydnyght, ar the day..Scheo saw..a dragon adoun lyght. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 11383 A tuelmoth are þe natiuite. 1413 J. Lydgate Pilgr. of Sowle (1483) iv. xxii. 69 Yf thou er this tyme haddest done right. 1465 M. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 303 Yf ye send to me contrary comaundement ere that tyme. 1583 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Deuteronomie clxxiii. 1076 Ere three dayes to an end he had quite forgotten. 1649 R. Lovelace Lucasta: Epodes, Odes, Sonnets, Songs 22 Could you ascend yon Chaire of State e're him? 1678 J. Dryden All for Love i. 1 Our fruitful Nile Flow'd ere the wonted Season. 1702 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion I. v. 456 E're that time. 1819 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto I i. 3 Sent to the devil somewhat ere his time. 1884 W. C. Smith Kildrostan 45 He Nigh lost his wits ere morning. β. a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 48 Or ani werldes time boren.1439 R. Rochefort in F. J. Furnivall Fifty Earliest Eng. Wills (1882) 123 If..Margarete his wyff decesse or tyme Rauf his son comme at full age.c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) lxxxvi. 273 Though he haue or this tym sufferyd greate trauayle.c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 114 A broþer of birþe born or hym-seluyn.γ. c1430 Freemasonry 160 Ȝe mowe hyt knowe long ȝer nyȝht.1535 Bible (Coverdale) Gen. xxxi. A And Iacob behelde Labans countenaunce, & beholde, it was not towarde him as yesterdaye and yeryesterdaye. b. In preference to, more than. ΚΠ β. 1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. xv. 502 Þe red noble Is reuerenced or þe Rode. 2. In the adverbial phrases †ere þon, ere then, ere this, etc. (Old English ǽr ðon, ǽr ðissum), before then, before this. Also erelong adv., erenow adv., erewhile adv. ΚΠ α. c897 K. Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care 7 Sio lar Lædengeðiodes ær ðissum afeallen wæs ȝiond Angelcynn. c1175 Lamb. Hom. 3 Moni of þan floc manna þe earþon fulieden ure drihten. c1175 Lamb. Hom. 11 We maȝen..ibeten ure sunne þet we abbet idon erþisse. 1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (1724) 501 Thou sedest vs ar this The priuete of thin herte. c1315 Shoreham 121 Thet unicorn..That erthange [read erthanne] was so wylde. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 9830 More selcouþe herde we neuer ar þis. c1430 Chev. Assigne 70 As I haue holde her er þis ‘our lorde so me helpe’. 1594 H. Plat Diuerse Sorts of Soyle 59 in Jewell House We should haue had a sufficient triall ear this. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iv. 971 Ere then Farr heavier load thy self expect to feel. View more context for this quotation 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost x. 240 If mishap [had attended him], Ere this he had return'd. View more context for this quotation 1776 E. Gibbon Misc. Wks. (1814) II. 173 You have ere this heard of the..accident. 1826 W. Scott Woodstock I. ii. 36 I trust the King is ere this out of their reach. 1884 D. Pae Eustace 28 I should ere this have shaped into words the warm affection which..existed in my heart. γ. 1598 R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (new ed.) 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 adverb with than; (b) of the preposition with pronominal regimen (Old English and early Middle English þam þe, þon þe, þam, þan, þon; subsequently that). Obsolete. ΚΠ α. a1000 Happy Land 38 in Sweet Ags. Rdr. (1884) 170 Næfre brosniað Leaf under lyfte..ær ðon edwenden Worulde geweorðe. OE Judith 252 Hofgedon aninga hyra hlaforde holde bodian, ærðon ðe him se egesa on ufan sæte, mægen Ebrea. c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) v. 18 An prica ne gewit fram þære æ ærþam [c1160 Hatton ær þan] ealle þing gewurþan. c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) vi. 8 Eower fæder wat hwæt eow þearf ys ær þam þe ge hyne biddað. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 9351 Ær þann þe laferrd iesu crist. Bigann owwþerr to donne. c1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 37 Er þonne þet child beo ifulȝed hit is þes deofles. ?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 218 Cwenh hit..ear þenne hit waxe. c1290 Lives Saints (1887) 52 Are þat heo were ded. a1300 Havelok 229 ‘In manus tuas, lou[er]de,’ he seyde, Her þat he þe speche leyde. c1325 Chron. Eng. 270 in J. Ritson Anc. Eng. Metrical Romanceës (1802) II This lond wes cleped Albyon, Er then Bruyt from Troye com. c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Franklin's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 907 Now telleth me er that ye ferther wende. 1483 Vulgaria abs Terencio (T. Rood & T. Hunte) sig. pvii^v Night cam vpon me er than j myght com hydere a geyne. 1559 W. Baldwin et al. Myrroure for Magistrates Richard Dk. York f. lxi Wherof she warnde prepared a mighty power, And ere that mane were altogether redy, Came bold to Bosworth and besieged my bower. β. a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2435 Or ðan he [sc. Abraham] wiste off werlde faren, He bad hise kinde to him charen.γ. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Gal. ii. 12 Yerre that certayne cam from James he [Peter] ate with the Gentyls. b. hence as simple conj. archaic and dialect. ΚΠ α. 971 Blickl. Hom. 47 On niht ær he ræste. OE Beowulf 2019 Oft hio beahwriðan secge (sealde), ær hie to setle geong. c1175 Lamb. Hom. 9 Heo weren strongliche ibunden er ure drihten come to þisse liue. a1225 Leg. Kath. 1393 To beon i-fulhtnet..ear we faren henne. 1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 1051 Bot of þe mare world yhit wil I mare say, Ar I pas fra þis matir away. 1393 W. Langland Piers Plowman C. iv. 303 Thei asken hure hyure er þey hit haue deserued. 1430 J. Lydgate tr. Hist. Troy i. v Ar Titan his bemes reyse agayne We shall departe. 1483 Act 1 Rich. III c. 8 Pream. Clothes so shorn er they be wette. 1581 R. Mulcaster Positions xxxiv. 121 Ear they entred into their exercise, and..ear they went to meat. 1611 Bible (King James) John iv. 49 The noble man saith vnto him, Syr, come downe ere my child die. View more context for this quotation 1691 J. Evelyn Kalendarium Hortense (ed. 8) 16 It will be a long time e'er your Graff produce any Fruits considerable. 1780 H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Painting (ed. 2) IV. i. 36 These promising abilities were cut off e'er they had reached their maturity. 1810 W. Scott Lady of Lake i. 6 E'er his fleet career he took, The dew-drops from his flanks he shook. 1870 E. Peacock Ralf Skirlaugh II. 22 It was very late ere the party broke up. β. a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 649 Or he [noe] was on werlde led, His kinde was wel wide spred.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 710 Al þinges..ware of gretter strenȝt and piþ, or adam had for-done þe griþ.1476 J. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 491 iiij howrys ore he dyed.a1547 J. Redford Moral Play Wit & Sci. (1848) 3 Wherfore, or I pas hens, now must I See thys same token heere. [Still very common dial.]γ. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Rom. ix. 11 Yeer the children were borne.1609 P. Holland tr. Ammianus Marcellinus Rom. Hist. xxx. i. 379 He might be intercepted yer he was aware. †c. with a redundant ere (in sense A. 4b), or some equivalent word, belonging to the principal clause, though occasionally standing in the subordinate. ΚΠ α. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 12694 Ær þann þe laferrd fullhtnedd wass Ær wass he wunedd offte. To cumenn till þe flumm. 1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (1724) 207 Ar hii come vpe þys hul, arst he wass ycome. a1300 K. Horn 546 Mid spere ischal furst ride..Ar ihc þe ginne to woȝe. 1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. v. 468 I shal seke treuthe arst ar I se Rome! β. a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 658 .ix. hundred ger and fifti told, Or or he starf, noe was old.c1330 R. Mannyng Chron. (1810) 74 Or Roberd wist, or þouht on suilk a dede, Ore was his hous on fire.c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (1839) viii. 83 Before or þei resceyue hem, þei knelen doun.a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xiv. 172 Myn dede ere shuld I dyght Or it were so. d. with the addition of ever. ΚΠ α. c1400 (?c1380) Pearl l. 328 Schal I efte forgo hit er euer I fyne? a1535 T. More Dialoge of Comfort (1553) iii. sig. N.iii Before a greate storme the sea begynneth..to worke..ere euer the wynde waxe boysteous. ?1614 W. Drummond Song: It Autumne was in Poems Ere e're she was, weepe that Dayes wheele was roll'd. β. 1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear vii. 445 This heart shall breake, in a 100. thousand flowes Or ere ile weepe.1611 Bible (King James) Dan. vi. 24 The Lyons..brake all their bones in pieces or euer they came at the bottome of the den. View more context for this quotation1883 A. C. Swinburne Cent. Roundels 23 These, or ever man was, were. 2. Of preference: Sooner than, rather than. Sometimes with correlative adverb as in C. 1c. ΚΠ α. OE Beowulf 1371 Ær he feorh seleð, aldor on ofre, ær he in wille, hafelan [beorgan]. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 6316 Forr ær þeȝȝ wolldenn þolenn dæþ... Ær þann þeȝȝ wolldenn gilltenn ohht. Onnȝæness godess wille. c1230 Hali Meid. 45 Hu ha..þoleden stronge pines ear ha walden nimen ham. c1330 King of Tars 44 Rather wolde i spille my blod..Ar heo scholde wedde a Sarazyn. 1393 W. Langland Piers Plowman C. iv. 157 Er ich wedde such a wif, wo me by-tyde. β. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 9815 Or aght his herte brest o thrinne, Or fra his comandementis tuinne.1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) ix. 594 In auenture till de He vald him put, or he vald fle. †D. adj. Only in late Old English and Middle English. Thesaurus » 1. The compounds in which Old English ǽr- has an adjectival force = ‘early’, ‘former’ (see Compounds 1) were occasionally resolved, so that the first element was treated as a real adjective, and inflected as such. For examples see Compounds 1. 2. Hence, rarely, the adjectival use occurs where it does not originate directly from composition. ΚΠ a1400 Isumbras 520 To mende hir are mysdede. Compounds C1. With adjectival force, as also arethede n. † ere-day n. [Old English ǣrdæg] Obsolete (see day n.), early day, beginning of the day, also plural ǣrdagas (in Middle English as phrase are dawes), former days. ΚΠ OE Andreas (1932) 220 Scealtu æninga mid ærdæge, emne to morgene, æt meres ende ceol gestigan ond on cald wæter brecan ofer bæðweg. OE Beowulf 126 Mid ærdæge. a1000 Hymns (Gr.) iii. 25 Þu eart se æðela, þe on ærdagum ealra fæmnena wyn fægere akende on Bethleem. c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 27 It was a king bi are dawes. † ere-deed n. [Old English ǣrdǣd] Obsolete (see deed n.), in Middle English erdede, a former deed. ΚΠ c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) xxiii. 41 And wyt witodlice be uncer ærdædum on-foð. c1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 153 Ech man shal understonden mede of his er-dede. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 4361 Nu þu scalt adreden for þine ær-dæden[c1300 Otho for þine erdede]. a1400 Octouian 1808 Clement was made a knyght For hys er dedes. † ere-morrow n. [Old English ǣrmorgen] Obsolete (see morn n., morrow n. and int.), early morning, in phrase on ǣrmorgen, Middle English on armorowe, also (with adjectival flexion of the first element) Old English on ǣrne morgen, Middle English on erne marȝen, on arnemorwe. ΚΠ a1000 Ps. (Gr.) lxii[i]. 6 Ic..on æmergen on þe eac gewene. c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xx. 1 Gelic þam hiredes ealdre þe on ærne mergen ut-eode. c1175 Lamb. Hom. 115 Þa aldormen etað on erne marȝen ulaȝeliche. c1300 K. Alis. 5458 The oost arist on erne morowe. c1330 (?c1300) Guy of Warwick (Auch.) l. 5164 On arnemorwe þan come we. c1330 (?c1300) Guy of Warwick (Auch.) l. 3391 An armorwe erliche Þemperour aros, sikerliche. C2. With prepositional force: see erelong adv., erenow adv., erewhile adv.; also ere-yesterday in B 1. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online June 2022). 'ereadv.² /ɪə/ Forms: also ere. Etymology: Representing a nonstandard pronunciation of here adv. and n.² nonstandard. = here adv. ΘΚΠ the world > space > place > here, there, etc. > [adverb] > here herec825 hereinc1000 here-rightlOE aplace1393 hereatc1540 'ere1837 yere1867 heah1927 1837 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers xliv. 489 I'm wery much mistaken if that 'ere Jingle worn't a doin' somethin' in the vater-cart vay! 1862 R. H. Newell Orpheus C. Kerr Papers I. 231 One of the fellers on the middle seat..when he spied them butes, he winked to me, and sung out: ‘Gheewhillikins! who owns these ere big trotters?’ 1886 H. Baumann Londinismen 49/2 This 'ere chum o' mine. 1898 G. B. Shaw Candida ii. 114 Ow long ave you known my son-in-law James ere? 1955 ‘Miss Read’ Village School x. 85 This 'ere 'eathen-jelly..took his tracts and that round to the building site. 1976 Daily Mirror 17 Mar. 24/4 'Ere Wellington..a couple of weeks ago you were pluggin' St. David. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1989; most recently modified version published online December 2021). < n.1866adv.¹prep.conj.adj.a822adv.²1837
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eren.

ereadv.1prep.conj.adj.

Compounds

'ereadv.2

ereadv.¹prep.conj.adj.

'ereadv.²