prematurely C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˌpriməˈtʊrli/ UK /ˌprɛməˈtjʊəli/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adv before the proper, usual, or expected time The baby was born prematurely but recovered fully. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adv · before the proper, usual,... earlyuntimelyprecipitatelyhastilytoo soon ↔ Opposites belatedlylatetimely Word family Related forms prematureprematuritymature Etymology AI details From premature + -ly, from Latin praematurus ('ripe too soon'), from prae- ('before') + maturus ('ripe, mature'). praematurus Latin maturus Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # prematurely **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adv **IPA (US):** /ˌpriməˈtʊrli/ **IPA (UK):** /ˌprɛməˈtjʊəli/ ## Meanings 1. before the proper, usual, or expected time ## Examples - The baby was born prematurely but recovered fully. ## Synonyms - early - untimely - precipitately - hastily - too soon ## Antonyms - belatedly - late - timely ## Related Forms - premature - prematurity - mature ## Roots and Affixes - Root: praematurus - Root: maturus ## Etymology From premature + -ly, from Latin praematurus ('ripe too soon'), from prae- ('before') + maturus ('ripe, mature'). ## AI Etymology Prematurely is from premature + -ly, from Latin praematurus ('ripe too soon'), from prae- ('before') + maturus ('ripe, mature'). Important recorded forms include praematurus (Latin) and maturus (Latin). Morphologically, the word preserves a built structure whose named elements carry the historical sense into English. The modern sense remains close to that composition, with the parts narrowing into a single lexical item. In current use it covers before the proper, usual, or expected time. The wider family includes related words such as premature, prematurity, and mature. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown