▪ I. ere, n. pseudo-arch. rare—1.
(See quot.)
| 1866 G. W. Dasent Gisli 23 They went out of their booth to the point of the ‘ere’ [footnote, ‘Ere’ old English for a sandy spit of land; from the Icelandic eyri]. |
▪ II. ere, adv., prep. and conj. (
ɛə(r))
Forms: α. 1–3
ær, (3
ære), 1–6
er, 3–4
her, (3
heer), 4–5
eer(e, (3
eær, 4
eir, 5
eyer), 2–6
ear(e, 8–9
Sc. ear, 3–6
ar(e, 4
aar, 4–5
ayr(e, 4–9
Sc. air(e (see
air adv.), (8
erron. e'er), 4–
ere. β. 3–7 (9
arch.)
or, 3–5
ore. γ. 4–5
ȝer(e, 6–7
yeer,
yer.
[OE. ǽr, corresp. to OFris., OS. êr (MDu. eer, êre, ee, Du. eer), OHG. êr (MHG. êr, ê, mod.G. eher, ehe), Goth. airis:—OTeut. *airiz, compar. degree of *air (Goth. air, ON. ár) adv., early. Some have suggested ultimate connexion with Gr. ἠρι- early in the morning. See also erer and erst. The
ME. spellings
ar(e and
or(e partly represent
ON. ár (or an unrecorded
OE. *ár without umlaut), and partly arise from
ǽr through loss of stress.]
A. adv. 1. Used as positive.
a. in
OE. (late
WS.): Early, at an early hour;
b. since 15th c. only
Sc. (forms
air,
ear): Early, soon: opposed to
late.
| a 1000 Guthlac 816 (Gr.) Hy to ær aþreat, Þæt hy waldendes willan læsten. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Mark xvi. 2 And swyðe ær anum reste-dæᵹe comon to þære byrᵹene. c 1200 Ormin 6246 Beon ar & late o ȝunnkerr weorrc. c 1225 Ancr. R. 338 Ich hit do ungledliche, oðer to er, oðer to leate. a 1340 Cursor M. 25419 (Gött.) Are and late i will ȝu mon. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. vii. xxxiii. 143 Come I are; come I late. 1474 in Househ. Ord. (1790) 28 To be ere at his supper. 1578 Scot. Poems 16th C. II. 152 Thow art keiper lait and aire. 1795 Macneill Will & Jean, Baith ear' and late, Will in briny grief lay steeping. 1879 G. Macdonald Sir Gibbie I. iv. 46 ‘Ye michtna be up ear eneuch to get yer⁓self shaved afore kirktime.’ |
† 2. Sooner, at an earlier time.
Obs.| α a 900 Charters in O.E. Texts 445 Gif he ᵹewite er ðonne hia. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. John i. 15 Se ðe to cumenne is æfter me..wæs ær þonne ic. c 1400 Ywaine & Gaw. 1061 Bitwene this and the thrid night, And ar if that it are myght be. 1465 Paston Lett. No. 518 II. 218, I received the box..on Friday last and non er. c 1650 Merlin 2094 in Furniv. Percy Folio I. 487, & thou had comen eare, indeed, thou might haue found him in that stead. |
| β 1526 Tindale John i. 15 He that commeth after me, was before me because he was yer than I. |
† 3. Sooner, rather, in preference.
Obs.| γ a 1536 Tindale Wks. II. 235 The flesh..would be exalted and lift up on high, yer than cast down. |
† 4. Before, formerly, at a former time, on a former occasion; often preceded by
ever,
never. Also, A little while ago, just now.
| α c 825 Vesp. Hymns in O.E. Texts 419 Ðæt mon ðu alesdes ðone ær soðlice ᵹehiowades. a 900 Martyrol. ibid. 178 Fyr of heofonum..forbernde..alle ða ðe..ær tinterᵹedon ðone halᵹan wer. a 1000 Elene 1285 Worda..eallra unsnyttro ær ᵹesprecenra. a 1123 O.E. Chron. an. 1101 And þæt ealle þa on Engle lande heora land onᵹean heafdon, þe hit ær þurh þone eorl forluron. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 5 Ȝe iherden er on þe godspel hu, etc. c 1200 Ormin 2349 Forr nass þat næfre fundenn æ r Amang wimmenn onn erþe. c 1275 Lay. 6626 Ne cnew hine no man Þat hine heer hi-sehȝe hadde. c 1300 Harrow. Hell 222 That y seyde er the to. 1375 Barbour Bruce ix. 442 Thai..war eir pouer and bare. c 1430 Pilgr. Lyf Manhode i. c. (1869) 54, I se blood shed on þe scrippe þat neuere er j apperceyuede. 15.. Kyng & Hermit 40 in Hazl. E.P.P. (1864) 14 Sych one saw I never are. 1557 Myliner of Abyngton 82 ibid. III. 103 He myght not do as he dyd are. 1647 R. Stapylton Juvenal 259 A beane-hull, ere the praise of all The neighb'ring village. |
| β c 1340 Cursor M. 1402 (Trin.) Þo he [Adam] lowȝe but neuer ore. Ibid. 12147 (Trin.) Ȝe wondir on þat I seide ore. 15.. Childe of Bristowe 342 in Hazl. E.P.P. I. 123 Into the chamber he went that tide, and knelid, as he dud ore. |
| γ c 1420 Chron. Vilod. 147 By conselle of Elmestone as I sayde ȝere. c 1450 Guy Warw. (C.) 60 Soche a mayde was neuer ȝere. a 1612 Harington Epigrams iii. (1633) 42 Chaste Linus, but as valiant as a gander, Came to me yer,..Lamenting that I raised on him a slander. |
b. First; before something else, or before anything else is done.
| α c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. v. 24 Gang ær and ᵹesybsuma wið þinne broðer. |
| β c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 88 Fro ðat time we tellen ay, Or ðe niȝt and after ðe day. c 1300 Havelok 728 But or he hauede michel shame. |
B. prep. 1. Before (in time). Also in
comb. † ere-yesterday, the day before yesterday.
| α ? a 735 (MS. a 900) Bede's Death Song ibid. 149 Aer his hin iongae. c 825 Vesp. Psalter liv. 20 [lv. 19] in O.E. Texts 263 God..se is ær weorulde and wunað in ecnisse. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. xxiv. 38 Swa hi wærun on þam daᵹum ær þam flode. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 17 Þet he icherre from þan uuelnesse ear his ende dei. a 1300 Cursor M. 11383 (Gött.), A tuelmoth are þe natiuite. c 1300 K. Alis. 344 Aboute mydnyght, ar the day..Scheo saw..a dragon adoun lyght. 1413 Lydg. Pilgr. Sowle iv. xxii. (1483) 69 Yf thou er this tyme haddest done right. 1465 Paston Lett. No. 505 II. 194 Yf ye send to me contrary comaundement er that tyme. 1583 Golding Calvin on Deut. clxxiii. 1076 Ere three dayes to an end he had quite forgotten. 1647 Clarendon Hist. Reb. (1702) I. v. 456 E're that time. 1649 Lovelace Poems 22 Could you ascend yon Chaire of State e're him? 1678 Dryden All for Love i. i, Our fruitful Nile Flow'd ere the wonted Season. 1819 Byron Juan i. i, Sent to the devil somewhat ere his time. 1884 W. C. Smith Kildrostan 45 He Nigh lost his wits ere morning. |
| β c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 47 Or ani werldes time boren. c 1400 Destr. Troy 114 A broþer of birþe born or hym-seluyn. 1439 R. Rochefort in E.E. Wills (1883) 123 If..Margarete his wyff decesse or tyme Rauf his son comme at full age. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon lxxxvi. 273 Though he haue or this tym sufferyd greate trauayle. |
| γ c 1430 Freemasonry 160 Ȝe mowe hyt knowe long ȝer nyȝht. 1535 Coverdale Gen. xxxi. 2 And Iacob behelde Labans countenaunce, & beholde, it was not towarde him as yesterdaye and yeryesterdaye. |
b. In preference to, more than.
| β 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xv. 502 Þe red noble Is reuerenced or þe Rode. |
2. In the
advb. phrases
† ere þon,
ere then,
ere this, etc. (
OE. ǽr ðon,
ǽr ðissum), before then, before this. Also
erelong,
erenow,
erewhile.
| α c 897 K. ælfred Gregory's Past. 7 Sio lar Lædenᵹeðiodes ær ðissum afeallen wæs ȝiond Angelcynn. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 3 Moni of þan floc manna þe earþon fulieden ure drihten. Ibid. 11 We maȝen..ibeten ure sunne þet we abbet idon erþisse. 1297 R. Glouc. (1724) 501 Thou sedest vs ar this The priuete of thin herte. c 1315 Shoreham 121 Thet unicorn..That erthange [read erthanne] was so wylde. c 1340 Cursor M. 9830 (Trin.), More selcouþe herde we neuer ar þis. c 1430 Chev. Assigne 70 As I haue holde her er þis ‘our lorde so me helpe’. 1594 Plat Jewell-ho. i. 59 We should haue had a sufficient ear this. 1667 Milton P.L. iv. 970 Ere then Farr heavier load thyself expect to feel. Ibid. x. 240 If mishap [had attended him], Ere this he had return'd. 1776 Gibbon Misc. Wks. (1814) II. 173 You have ere this heard of the..accident. 1826 Scott Woodst. ii, I trust the King is ere this out of their reach. 1884 Pae Eustace 28, I should ere this have shaped into words the warm affection which..existed in my heart. |
| γ 1598 Hakluyt Voy. I. 6 They might very well, yer this, haue surpassed..any particular Monarchie els. |
C. conj. (or as part of conjunctional phrase).
1. Of time: Before.
† a. in conjunctional phrases, consisting (
a) of the
adv. with
than; (
b) of the
prep. with pronominal regimen (
OE. and early
ME. þam þe,
þon þe,
þam,
þan,
þon; subsequently
that).
Obs.| α a 1000 Judith 252 in Sweet Ags. Rdr. (1884) 165 ær ðon ðe him se eᵹesa on ufan sæte Mæᵹen Ebrea. a 1000 Happy Land 38 ibid. 170 Næfre brosniað Leaf under lyfte..ær ðon edwenden Worulde ᵹeweorðe. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. v. 18 An prica ne ᵹewit fram þære æ ærþam [c 1160 Hatton ær þan] ealle þing ᵹewurþan. Ibid. vi. 8 Eower fæder wat hwæt eow þearf ys ær þam þe ᵹe hyne biddað. c 1200 Ormin 9351 ær þann þe Laferrd Jesu Crist Bigann owwþerr to donne. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 37 Er þonne þet child beo ifulȝed hit is þes deofles. a 1225 Ancr. R. 296 Cwench hit..er þen hit waxe. c 1290 Lives Saints (1887) 52 Are þat heo were ded. a 1300 Havelok 229 ‘In manus tuas, lou[er]de,’ he seyde, Her þat he þe speche leyde. c 1325 Chron. Eng. in Ritson Met. Rom. II. 270 This lond wes cleped Albyon, Er then Bruyt from Troye com. c 1386 Chaucer Frankl. T. 895 Now telleth me er that ye ferther wende. 1483 Vulgaria abs Terentio 24 a, Night cam vpon me er than j myght com hydere a geyne. 1559 Baldwin in Mirr. for Mag. (1563) H 1 a, Wherof she warnd prepared a myghty power, And ere that myne were altogether redy, Came swyft to Sandale and besieged my bower. |
| β c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 2435 Or ðan he [Abraham] wiste off werlde faren, He bade hise kinde to him charen. |
| γ 1526 Tindale Gal. ii. 12 Yerre that certayne cam from James he [Peter] ate with the Gentyls. |
b. hence as simple
conj. arch. and
dial.| α Beowulf 2019 (Gr.) Oft hio beah wriðan secᵹe [sealde] ær hie to setle ᵹeong. 971 Blickl. Hom. 47 On niht ær he ræste. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 9 Heo weren strongliche ibunden er ure drihten come to þisse liue. a 1225 Leg. Kath. 1393 To beon i-fulhtnet..ear we faren henne. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 1051 Bot of þe mare world yhit wil I mare say, Ar I pas fra þis matir away. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. iv. 303 Thei asken hure hyure er þey hit haue deserued. 1430 Lydg. Chron. Troy i. v, Ar Titan his bemes reyse agayne We shall departe. 1483 Act 1 Rich. III, c. 8 Pream., Clothes so shorn er they be wette. 1581 Mulcaster Positions xxxiv. (1887) 122 Ear they entered into their exercise, and..ear they went to meat. 1611 Bible John iv. 49 The noble man saith vnto him, Syr, come downe ere my child die. 1664 Evelyn Kal. Hort. (1729) 190 It will be a long Time e'er your Graff produce any Fruits considerable. 1762–71 H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Paint. (1786) IV. 76 These promising abilities were cut off e'er they had reached their maturity. 1810 Scott Lady of L. i. ii, Ere his fleet career he took, The dew-drops from his flanks he shook. 1870 E. Peacock Ralf Skirl. II. 22 It was very late ere the party broke up. |
| β c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 649 Or he [noe] was on werlde led, His kinde was wel wide spred. c 1340 Cursor M. 710 (Fairf.) Al þinges..ware of gretter strenȝt and piþ, or adam had for-done þe griþ. 1476 Paston Lett. No. 771 III. 152, iiij howrs or he dyed. c 1570 Moral Play Wit & Sc. (Shaks. Soc.) 3 Wherfore, or I pas hens, now must I See thys same token heere. [Still very common dial.] |
| γ 1526 Tindale Rom. ix. 11 Yeer the children were borne. 1563–87 Foxe A. & M. (1596) 109/1 The king laie after long sicke yer he were healed. 1609 Holland Amm. Marcel. xxx. i. 379 He might be intercepted yer he was aware. |
† c. with a redundant
ere (in sense A. 4 b), or some equivalent word, belonging to the principal clause, though occasionally standing in the subordinate.
| α c 1200 Ormin 12694 ær þann þe Laferrd fullhtnedd wass ær wass he wunedd offte To cumenn till þe flumm. 1297 R. Glouc. (1724) 207 Ar hii come vpe þys hul, arst he wass ycome. a 1300 K. Horn 546 Mid spere ischal furst ride..Ar ihc þe ginne to woȝe. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. v. 468, I shal seke treuthe arst ar I se Rome! |
| β c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 658 Nine hundred ȝer and fifti told, or or he starf, noe was old. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 74 Or Roberd wist, or þouht on suilk a dede, Ore was his hous on fire. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) viii. 83 Before or þei resceyue hem, þei knelen doun. c 1460 Towneley Myst. 131 Myn dede ere shuld I dyght, Or it were so. |
d. with the addition of
ever.
| α c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. A. 328 Schal I efte forgo hit er euer I fyne? 1529 More Comf. agst. Trib. iii. Wks. 1212/2 Before a gret storm the sea begynneth..to worke..ere euer the windes waxe boistous. c 1630 Drummond of Hawthornden Poems Wks. 12 Er e're she was, weep that day's wheel was roll'd. |
| β 1605 Shakes. Lear ii. iv. 289 This heart shal break into a hundred thousand flawes Or ere Ile weepe. 1611 Bible Dan. vi. 24 The Lyons..brake all their bones in pieces or euer they came at the bottome of the den. 1883 Swinburne Cent. Roundels 23 These, or ever man was, were. |
2. Of preference: Sooner than, rather than. Sometimes with correlative
adv. as in 1 c.
| α Beowulf 1371 (Gr.) ær he [sc. heorot] feorh seleð..on ofre, ær he in wille hafelan [hydan]. c 1200 Ormin 6316 Forr ær þeȝȝ wolldenn þolenn dæþ ær þann þeȝȝ wolldenn gilltenn ohht Onnȝæness Godess wille. c 1230 Hali Meid. 45 Hu ha..þoleden stronge pines ear ha walden nimen ham. c 1330 King of Tars 44 Rather wolde i spille my blod..Ar heo scholde wedde a Sarazyn. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. iv. 157 Er ich wedde such a wif, wo me by-tyde. |
| β a 1300 Cursor M. 9815 (Gött.) Or aght his herte brest o thrinne, Or fra his comandementis tuinne. 1375 Barbour Bruce ix. 594 In auenture till de He vald him put, or he vald fle. |
† D. adj. Only in late
OE. and
ME. 1. The compounds in which
OE. ǽr- has an adjectival force
= ‘early’, ‘former’ (see E. 1) were occasionally resolved, so that the first element was treated as a real
adj., and inflected as such. For examples see E. 1.
2. Hence, rarely, the adjectival use occurs where it does not originate directly from composition.
| a 1400 Isumbras 520 To mende hir are mysdede. |
E. Comb. 1. With adjectival force, as
OE. ǽrdæᵹ (see
day), early day, beginning of the day, also
pl. ǽrdaᵹas (in
ME. as phrase
are dawes), former days;
OE. ǽrdǽd (see
deed), in
ME. erdede, a former deed;
OE. ǽrmorᵹen (see
morn,
morrow), early morning, in phrase
on ǽrmorᵹen,
ME. on armorowe, also (with adjectival flexion of the first element)
OE. on ǽrne morᵹen,
ME. on erne marȝen,
on arnemorwe; also
arethede.
| Beowulf 253 Mid *ær-dæᵹe. a 1000 Andreas 220 (Gr.) Scealtu æninga mid ærdæᵹe..Ceol ᵹestiᵹan. a 1000 Hymns iii. 25 (Gr.) Þu eart se æðela, þe on ærdaᵹum ealra fæmnena wyn fæᵹere akende on Bethleem. c 1300 Havelok 27 It was a king bi are dawes. |
| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Luke xxiii. 41 And wyt witodlice be uncer *ærdædum on-foð. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 153 Ech man shal understonden mede of his er-dede. c 1205 Lay. 8745 Nu þu scalt adreden for þine ær dæden [c 1275 for þine erdede]. a 1400 Octouian 1808 Clement was made a knyght For hys er dedes. |
| a 1000 Ps. lxii[i]. 6 (Gr.) Ic..on *æmerᵹen on þe eac ᵹewene. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. xx. 1 Gelic þam hiredes ealdre þe on ærne merᵹen ut-eode. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 115 Þa aldormen etað on erne marȝen ulaȝeliche. c 1300 K. Alis. 5458 The oost arist on erne morowe. c 1314 Guy Warw. (A.) 3391 An armorwe erliche Þemperour aros, sikerliche. Ibid. 5164 On anemorwe þan come we. |
2. With prepositional force: see
erelong,
erenow,
erewhile; also
ere-yesterday in B 1.
▪ III. ere var. of
ear obs. to plough.
| 1621 Bolton Statutes Irel. 10 Labourers..to ere the ground. |
▪ IV. ere obs. f. are: see
be v.; also of
ever.