ere

Meaning

Prep

Before; sooner than.

Adv

At an earlier time.

Conj

before.

Noun

Obsolete form of ear.

Contraction

A contraction of is, there, and the indefinite article. Mainly used in questions.

Synonyms

before

afore

first

1st

formerly

previously

sooner

Translations

prima di

voor

ehe

antes de

prima che

aleer

eer

avant

bevor

antes

antes de que

يحرث

evvel

قَبْل

أْبْكَر

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɛə/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: er

Inherited from Old English: ǣr

Cognate with Avestan: 𐬀𐬫𐬀𐬭

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: eer

Cognate with Dutch: eer

Cognate with German: 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”).