Etimology
From Middle English erly, erlich, earlich, from Old English ǣrlīċ (“early”, adjective), equivalent to ere + -ly.
adjective
early (comparative earlier, superlative earliest)
At a time in advance of the usual or expected event.
Arriving a time before expected; sooner than on time.
Near the start or beginning.
Near the start of the day.
Having begun to occur; in its early stages.
(astronomy) Of a star or class of stars, hotter than the sun.
Examples
at eleven, we went for an early lunch; she began reading at an early age; his mother suffered an early death
Floods in northern India, mostly in the small state of Uttarakhand, have wrought disaster on an enormous scale. The early, intense onset of the monsoon on June 14th swelled rivers, washing away roads, bridges, hotels and even whole villages. Rock-filled torrents smashed vehicles and homes, burying victims under rubble and sludge.
You're early today! I don't usually see you before nine o'clock.
The early guests sipped their punch and avoided each other's eyes.
The play "Two Gentlemen of Verona" is one of Shakespeare's early works.
Early results showed their winning 245 out of 300 seats in parliament. The main opponent locked up only 31 seats.
'Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres, the posies in the yard—peonies and such—in full bloom, the sun was shining, and the water of the bay was blue, with light green streaks where the shoal showed.
Dotcom mania was slow in coming to higher education, but now it has the venerable industry firmly in its grip. Since the launch early last year of Udacity and Coursera, two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations.
It's too early for this sort of thing. I'm not awake yet.
early cancer
Antonym: late
Related words
synonyms
(at a time in advance of the usual): premature
(near the start): first
antonyms
(at a time in advance of the usual): late
(illness: having begun to occur): terminal
noun
early (plural earlies)
(informal) A shift (scheduled work period) that takes place early in the day.
Examples
On my first day on the watch after leaving the shoplifting squad I paraded on earlies but had completely forgotten to take my ear ring off.
Related words
antonyms
late
Etimology
From Middle English erly, orely, arely, erliche, arliche, from Old English ǣrlīċe, ārlīċe (“early; early in the morning”, adverb), equivalent to ere + -ly. Cognate with Old Norse árliga, árla ( > Danish årle, Swedish arla, Norwegian årle, Faroese árla).
adverb
early (comparative earlier, superlative earliest)
At a time before expected; sooner than usual.
Soon; in good time; seasonably.
Examples
We finished the project an hour sooner than scheduled, so we left early.
No matter how early I came down, I would find him on the veranda, smoking cigarettes, or otherwise his man would be there with a message to say that his master would shortly join me if I would kindly wait.
[T]thoſe that ſeeke me early, ſhall find me.
You must wake and call me early, call me early, mother dear; / Tomorrow 'ill be the happiest time of all the blythe Newyear; […]
Related words
synonyms
prematurely
antonyms
late, tardily