betimes C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /bɪˈtaɪmz/ UK /bɪˈtaɪmz/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adv in good time; early; on occasion (archaic) They rose betimes to catch the first ferry. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adv · in good time; early; on... earlysoonpromptlyseasonablyoccasionally ↔ Opposites latetardily Word family Related forms time Etymology AI details From Middle English bitimes, from bitime ('early') + adverbial -s; from be- + time, from Old English tīma ('time'). be- Old English tīma Old English View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Register & Style External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # betimes **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adv **IPA (US):** /bɪˈtaɪmz/ **IPA (UK):** /bɪˈtaɪmz/ ## Meanings 1. in good time; early; on occasion (archaic) ## Examples - They rose betimes to catch the first ferry. ## Synonyms - early - soon - promptly - seasonably - occasionally ## Antonyms - late - tardily ## Related Forms - time ## Roots and Affixes - Root: be- - Root: tīma ## Etymology From Middle English bitimes, from bitime ('early') + adverbial -s; from be- + time, from Old English tīma ('time'). ## AI Etymology Betimes comes from Middle English bitimes, from bitime ('early') + adverbial -s; from be- + time, from Old English tīma ('time'). The historical trail runs through be- in Old English and tīma in Old English. Morphologically, betimes is transparent: it draws on Middle English bitimes, from bitime ('early') + adverbial -s. Used as an adverb, betimes now means "in good time; early; on occasion (archaic)", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in related forms such as time. The modern word remains analyzable through its parts, which makes the semantic connection unusually direct. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Register & Style markdown