ere

[air]

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preposition, conjunction

Origin of ere

before 900; Middle English; Old English ǣr, ēr (cognate with German ehr), comparative of ār soon, early; cognate with Gothic air. See erst, early

Can be confusedair e'er ere err heir

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for ere

before, prior, rather

Examples from the Web for ere

Contemporary Examples of ere

Three times,” he says angrily, “thou shalt betray me ere the cock crows.
The Stacks: The Judas Priest Teen Suicide Trial
Ivan Solotaroff
June 28, 2014

Historical Examples of ere

“We must call Kit into counsel, ere we can do that fully,” said Stephen.
The Armourer's Prentices
Charlotte M. Yonge
But just ere the silent became unendurable, a thought appeared in the void.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
The boy was sickly: he might be taken from him ere he had made any true acquaintance with him!
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
Ere the door was opened Hester had got down and stood waiting.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
But ere she was six slow steps away, she turned at a cry from her mother.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald

British Dictionary definitions for ere

ere

conjunction, preposition

a poetic word for before

Word Origin for ere

Old English ǣr; related to Old Norse ār early, Gothic airis earlier, Old High German ēr earlier, Greek eri early

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ere

prep.

c.1200, from Old English ær (adv., conj., & prep.) "soon, before (in time)," from Proto-Germanic *airiz, comparative of *air "early" (cf. Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Old High German er, Dutch eer; German eher "earlier;" Old Norse ar "early;" Gothic air "early," airis "earlier"), from PIE *ayer- "day, morning" (cf. Avestan ayar "day;" Greek eerios "at daybreak," ariston "breakfast"). The adverb erstwhile retains the Old English superlative ærest "earliest."