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Early

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early¹

  • /ˈɜːli/ UK
  • /ˈɝli/ Canada, US
  • /ɚ̞li/ Canada, US

Sounds like Earley · Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)li

Where it comes from

From Middle English erly, erlich, earlich, from Old English ǣrlīċ (“early”, adjective), equivalent to ere + -ly.

adjective earlier · earliest

  1. At a time in advance of the usual or expected event. at eleven, we went for an early lunch; she began reading at an early age; his mother suffered an early death
  2. Arriving a time before expected; sooner than on time. You're early today! I don't usually see you before nine o'clock.
  3. After but close to the start of a period of time. The play "Two Gentlemen of Verona" is one of Shakespeare's early works.
  4. In the starting hours of the day. It's too early for this sort of thing. I'm not awake yet.
  5. Having begun to occur; in its early stages. early cancer
  6. Of a star or class of stars, hotter than the sun.

Similar: early, early doors

noun earlies

  1. informal A shift (scheduled work period) that takes place early in the day. On my first day on the watch after leaving the shoplifting squad I paraded on earlies but had completely forgotten to take my ear ring off.

early²

  • /ˈɜːli/ UK
  • /ˈɝli/ Canada, US
  • /ɚ̞li/ Canada, US

Sounds like Earley · Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)li

Where it comes from

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ey-

Proto-Indo-European *-eri

Proto-Indo-European *h₂éyeri

Proto-Germanic *airi

Proto-Germanic *airiz

Old English ǣr

Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der.

Proto-Germanic *līkąder.

Proto-Germanic *-līkaz

Proto-Germanic *-ê

Proto-Germanic *-līkê

Proto-West Germanic *-līkē

Old English -līċe

Old English ǣrlīċe

Middle English erly

English early

From Middle English erly, orely, arely, erliche, arliche, from Old English ǣrlīċe, ārlīċe (“early; early in the morning”, adverb), equivalent to ere + -ly. Cognate with Old Norse árliga, árla ( > Danish årle, Swedish arla, Norwegian årle, Faroese árla).

adverb earlier · earliest

  1. At a time before expected; sooner than usual. We finished the project an hour sooner than scheduled, so we left early.
  2. Soon; in good time; seasonably. [T]thoſe that ſeeke me early, ſhall find me.

Similar: prematurely

Early³

proper noun Earlys

  1. A surname.

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