beforetime
Americanadverb
adverb
Etymology
Origin of beforetime
First recorded in 1250–1300, beforetime is from Middle English bifor time. See before, time
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Is this the beforetime for Johns, a memory of a time before he decided to be an artist, before he turned inward and began to live almost entirely in his head?
From Washington Post • Sep. 29, 2021
The gods who were beforetime rest in their tombs, the mummies 5 of the saints likewise are enwrapped in their tombs.
From Egyptian Literature Comprising Egyptian tales, hymns, litanies, invocations, the Book of the Dead, and cuneiform writings by Wilson, Epiphanius
The Lord Lovel, too, a bitter enemy of the reigning prince, who had fled to the court of Burgundy beforetime for protection, was entrusted with a command in the expedition.
From Traditions of Lancashire, Volume 2 by Roby, John
An iron lamp hung from the ceiling in what seemed to have been one of the cellars of the old house, though she was unaware beforetime of such a dangerous proximity.
From Traditions of Lancashire, Volume 2 by Roby, John
On the other hand, none can say beforetime what any man can endure unless he has been tested.
From A Volunteer with Pike The True Narrative of One Dr. John Robinson and of His Love for the Fair Señorita Vallois by Bennet, Robert Ames
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
