adverb, adjective
- in anticipation; in advance; ahead of time: We should have made reservations beforehand. I hope to be beforehand with my report.
adjective, adverb (postpositive)
- early; in advance; in anticipationshe came an hour beforehand
also before-hand, early 13c., from before + hand, which here is of uncertain signification, unless the original notion is payment in advance or something done before another’s hand does it. Hyphenated from 18c., one word from 19c.