at all times; always: an ever-present danger; He is ever ready to find fault.
continuously: ever since then.
at any time: Have you ever seen anything like it?
in any possible case; by any chance; at all (often used to intensify or emphasize a phrase or an emotional reaction as surprise or impatience): How did you ever manage to do it? If the band ever plays again, we will dance.
adjective
South Midland and Southern U.S.every: She rises early ever morning.
Idioms
ever and again, now and then; from time to time.Also Literary, ever and anon.
ever so, to a great extent or degree; exceedingly: They were ever so kind to me.
Old English æfre "ever, at any time, always;" no cognates in any other Germanic language; perhaps a contraction of a in feore, literally "ever in life" (the expression a to fore is common in Old English writings).
First element is almost certainly related to Old English a "always, ever," from Proto-Germanic *aiwo, from PIE *aiw- "vital force, life, long life, eternity." (see eon). Liberman suggests second element is comparative adjectival suffix -re.
