ere

Signification (English)

Prep

Before; sooner than.

Adv

At an earlier time.

Conj

Before.

Noun

Obsolete form of ear.

Concepts

avant

avant que

Synonyms

before

afore

first

1st

formerly

previously

sooner

Prononcé comme (IPA)

/ɛə/

Etymology (English)

Inherited from moyen anglais: er

Inherited from ancien anglais: ǣr

Cognate with avestique: 𐬀𐬫𐬀𐬭

Cognate with saterlandais: eer

Cognate with néerlandais: eer

Cognate with allemand: ehe

In summary

From Middle English er, from Old English ǣr (adverb, conjunction, and preposition), from Proto-West Germanic *airi, from Proto-Germanic *airiz, comparative of Proto-Germanic *airi (“early”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éyeri (“day, morning”) (compare Avestan 𐬀𐬫𐬀𐬭 (ayar, “day”), Gk. ἠέριος (ēérios, “at daybreak”), see also era, Albanian herët (“early in the morning, at daybreak”) ). The adverb erstwhile retains the Old English superlative ǣrest (“earliest”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian eer (“before”), Dutch eer (“before, sooner than”), German ehe (“before”).