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.
Now and then, occasionally. For example, We visit her ever and again. This phrase has largely replaced the earlier ever and anon, dating from the late 1500s, but is less common than every now and then. [Late 1800s]
