Early

How to spell early

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce early

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does early mean?

1. adjectiveHappening or occurring before the usual, expected, or arranged time.
2. adverbBefore the usual, expected, or appointed time.

Early in a sentence

• adjective

  The meeting was moved to an early slot before lunch.

• adverb

  She arrived early to prepare the room for the interview.

• adjective

  An early start helped them beat the traffic on the motorway.

• adverb

  The train left early and several commuters missed it.

Where does early come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

The word descends from Old English ǣrlīce, a compound built from ǣr, meaning 'before' or 'soon', and the suffix -līce, which is the ancestor of the modern ending -ly. The first element ǣr is also the root behind the old word 'ere', meaning 'before', which still survives in poetry and in the phrase 'ere long'. Over the Middle English period the spelling drifted as the vowel sound shifted, and the modern 'ear' spelling settled in even though it no longer reflects the original long vowel. By the medieval period it had taken on its current double duty as both an adjective and an adverb describing something happening before the usual or expected time. The 'ea' that catches some writers out is a relic of that long vowel history rather than anything to do with the body part spelled the same way.

How the word is built

• ear- (from Old English ǣr: before, soon)
• -ly (adverb/adjective suffix)