earliness C2+ Topic:Time US /ˈɝlinəs/ UK /ˈɜːlinəs/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun the quality of occurring or arriving before the usual time The earliness of the harvest surprised the local farmers. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · the quality of occurring or... promptnesspunctualityprecocityprematurity ↔ Opposites latenesstardinessbelatedness Word family Related forms earlyearlier Etymology AI details From 'early' + the noun-forming suffix '-ness'. 'Early' is from Old English 'ǣrlīce', from 'ǣr' ('before, soon') + '-līce' ('-ly'). ǣrlīce Old English View etymology graph -> Topics Time Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # earliness **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈɝlinəs/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈɜːlinəs/ ## Meanings 1. the quality of occurring or arriving before the usual time ## Examples - The earliness of the harvest surprised the local farmers. ## Synonyms - promptness - punctuality - precocity - prematurity ## Antonyms - lateness - tardiness - belatedness ## Related Forms - early - earlier ## Roots and Affixes - Root: ǣrlīce ## Etymology From 'early' + the noun-forming suffix '-ness'. 'Early' is from Old English 'ǣrlīce', from 'ǣr' ('before, soon') + '-līce' ('-ly'). ## AI Etymology Earliness is from 'early' + the noun-forming suffix '-ness'. 'Early' is from Old English 'ǣrlīce', from 'ǣr' ('before, soon') + '-līce' ('-ly'). The immediate etymological form is Old English ǣrlīce. The suffix -ness marks an abstract noun of quality or state, so the English form is shaped by recognizable word formation as well as by its inherited or borrowed base. In present use as a noun, it means "the quality of occurring or arriving before the usual time", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include early and earlier. ## Topics - Time - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown