ere








preposition, conjunction

  1. before.

conjunction, preposition

  1. a poetic word for before
prep.

c.1200, from Old English ær (adv., conj., & prep.) “soon, before (in time),” from Proto-Germanic *airiz, comparative of *air “early” (cf. Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Old High German er, Dutch eer; German eher “earlier;” Old Norse ar “early;” Gothic air “early,” airis “earlier”), from PIE *ayer- “day, morning” (cf. Avestan ayar “day;” Greek eerios “at daybreak,” ariston “breakfast”). The adverb erstwhile retains the Old English superlative ærest “earliest.”

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