earliness

C2+ Topic:Abstract Ideas

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... promptness punctuality precocityprematurity

Opposites

latenesstardinessbelatedness

Word family

Related forms early earlier

Etymology

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

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# 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
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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