ere C2+ Topic:Grammar & Function Words US /ɛr/ UK /ɛə/ See IPA manual Homophones heir /ɛr/ Minimal pairs Sounds like ell /l/ vs /ɹ/ Sounds like l /l/ vs /ɹ/ Meanings 1 prep before (in time) They hoped to reach the village ere nightfall. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 prep · before (in time) beforepreviouslysooner than ↔ Opposites after Word family Derived forms erenowerewhileerelong Related forms earlyersterstwhile Etymology AI details From Old English ǣr 'before, sooner, earlier', from Proto-Germanic *airiz, comparative of *air 'early'. ǣr Old English *airiz Proto-Germanic View etymology graph -> Topics Grammar & Function Words External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # ere **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** prep **IPA (US):** /ɛr/ **IPA (UK):** /ɛə/ ## Meanings 1. before (in time) ## Examples - They hoped to reach the village ere nightfall. ## Synonyms - before - previously - sooner than ## Antonyms - after ## Derived Forms - erenow - erewhile - erelong ## Related Forms - early - erst - erstwhile ## Roots and Affixes - Root: ǣr - Root: *airiz ## Etymology From Old English ǣr 'before, sooner, earlier', from Proto-Germanic *airiz, comparative of *air 'early'. ## AI Etymology Ere comes from Old English ǣr 'before, sooner, earlier', from Proto-Germanic *airiz, comparative of *air 'early'. The etymological trail includes Old English ǣr and Proto-Germanic *airiz. In current use, ere means before (in time). The same family is visible in derived forms such as erenow, erewhile, and erelong and related forms such as early, erst, and erstwhile. ## Topics - Grammar & Function Words markdown