ere

Meaning

Adverb

• At an earlier time.

Origin

• From Middle English er, from Old English ǣr (adverb, conjunction, and preposition), from Proto-Germanic *airiz, comparative of Proto-Germanic *airi ("early"), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éyeri ("day, morning") (compare Avestan 𐬀𐬫𐬀𐬭 ("day"), Gk. ἠέριος, see also era, Albanian herët ). The adverb erstwhile retains the Old English superlative ǣrest. Cognate with Saterland Frisian eer, Dutch eer, German eher ("earlier").