Nearby Words
adverb
1.
in or during the first part of a period of time, a course of action, a series of events, etc.: early in the year.
2.
in the early part of the morning: to get up early.
3.
before the usual or appointed time; ahead of time: They came early and found their hosts still dressing.
4.
far back in time: The Greeks early learned to sail and navigate.
adjective
5.
occurring in the first part of a period of time, a course of action, a series of events, etc.: an early hour of the day.
6.
occurring before the usual or appointed time: an early dinner.
7.
belonging to a period far back in time: early French architecture.
8.
occurring in the near future: I look forward to an early reply.
9.
(of a fruit or vegetable) appearing or maturing before most others of its type: early apples.
:10
:09
:08
:07
:06
:05
:04
:03
:02
:01
Earlier
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
noun
Idiom10.
a fruit or vegetable that appears before most others of its type.
11.
early on, with but little time elapsed; early in the course of a process, project, etc.; early in the game.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
|
Link To earlier
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
early
O.E. ærlice, from ær "soon, ere" (from P.Gmc. *airiz, from PIE *ayer- "day, morning") + -lice "-ly," adverbial suffix (see -ly (2)). The early bird of the proverb is from 1670s. Related: Earlier; earliest.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Word Dynamo By Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.