It was not long ere a call came from the house and recalled me from my reflections.
Take the water ere the clock strikes twelve.
ere in British English
(ɛə)
conjunction, preposition
a poetic word for before
Word origin
Old English ǣr; related to Old Norse ār early, Gothic airis earlier, Old High German ēr earlier, Greek ēri early
ere in American English
(ɛr)
OLD-FASHIONED, Poetic
preposition
1.
before (in time)
conjunction
2.
before
3.
sooner than; rather than
Word origin
ME er < OE ær, adv., prep., conj., akin to Ger eher, ehe, orig. compar. as seen in Goth airis, earlier < air, early < IE *aier-, dawn < base *ai-, to burn, shine
Examples of 'ere' in a sentence
ere
A savage spot, as lonely and enchanted as ere beneath the waning moon was haunted by a woman wailing for her demon lover.