Early

¹

[ur-lee]

noun

1. Jubal Anderson 1816–94, Confederate general in the U.S. Civil War.

early

²

[ur-lee]

adverb

earlier, earliest 

1. in or during the first part of a period of time, a course of action, a series of events, etc..

   early in the year.

2. in the early part of the morning.

   to get up early.

3. before the usual or appointed time; ahead of time.

   They came early and found their hosts still dressing.

4. far back in time.

   The Greeks early learned to sail and navigate.

adjective

earlier, earliest 

1. occurring in the first part of a period of time, a course of action, a series of events, etc..

   an early hour of the day.

   Synonyms: initial

2. occurring before the usual or appointed time.

   an early dinner.

   Synonyms: premature, beforehand

3. belonging to a period far back in time.

   early French architecture.

4. occurring in the near future.

   I look forward to an early reply.

5. (of a fruit or vegetable) appearing or maturing before most others of its type.

   early apples.

noun

plural

earlies 

1. a fruit or vegetable that appears before most others of its type.

early

/ ˈɜːlɪ /

adjective

1. before the expected or usual time

2. occurring in or characteristic of the first part of a period or sequence

3. occurring in or characteristic of a period far back in time

4. occurring in the near future

5. not before the time or date mentioned

6. too soon to tell how things will turn out

adverb

1. before the expected or usual time

2. near the first part of a period or sequence

   I was talking to him earlier

Other Word Forms

• earliness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Early¹

First recorded before 950; Middle English erlich (adjective), erliche (adverb), Old English ǣrlīc, ǣrlīce, variant of ārlīc, ārlīce, from ār “soon, early” ( ere ) + līc(e) -ly

Word History and Origins

Origin of Early¹

Old English ǣrlīce, from ǣr _ere + -līce _-ly ²; related to Old Norse arliga

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. early on, with but little time elapsed; early in the course of a process, project, etc.; early in the game.

More idioms and phrases containing Early

• bright and early

Example Sentences

Those experiences had happened with her old robotic body, but now she had a different body, and only hours earlier, he had learned that his mother was waterproof.

Read more on Literature

“In the meantime, we encourage travelers to book now and early for guaranteed reservations,” Amtrak added for those who decide to ride the rails instead.

Read more on MarketWatch

According to a study by a private-public partnership earlier this year, golf is a $1.6 billion industry in the Myrtle Beach area alone—a region that promotes itself as the Golf Capital of the World.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Starting in the mergers and acquisitions department at Morgan Stanley months before the crash of 1987, she went on to co-head tech investment banking during the early, heady days of the internet.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

My earliest memory of coffee dates back to sleepless nights spent at the campus library in college.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• beforehand 
• briefly 
• directly 
• immediately 
• prematurely www.thesaurus.com
• previous 
• promptly 
• quick 
• shortly 
• soon 
• too soon www.thesaurus.com
• unexpectedly