early
/ˈəːli
/adjective (earlier, earliest)
1Happening or done before the usual or expected time: we ate an early lunch...
- Twenty-five pensioners enjoyed a free lunch as an early Christmas present from their local pub.
- Just to really stoke things up, we arrived at Lyneham to find that we'd been booked an early lunch in the canteen.
- Monday was an early lunch of homemade mince pie, chips and veg at Via Veneto.
Synonyms
untimely, premature;
too soon, too early, before time
archaic unseasonable
prompt, timely, quick, speedy, rapid, fast, without delay, expeditious
archaic rathe
2Belonging or happening near the beginning of a particular period: an early goal secured victory she’s in her early fifties...
- It was early morning and he had been parking his van near a site where he was working as a labourer, when he and a co-worker saw the fire.
- It was early in the morning and the sun was just beginning to show its lovely face from the horizon.
- The early goal in that second period helped lift us, gave us something to hold on to, and from then on we played well.
Synonyms
advance, forward, prior;
initial, preliminary, first, primary;
pilot, test, trial
2.1Done or occurring near the beginning of the day: we agreed to meet at 6 am to get an early start...
- I congratulate all those MPs who have had the courage of their convictions in signing up to this early day motion.
- She returned to bed but called an ambulance in the early hours of the next day when she heard that her husband had stopped snoring.
- Richard's uncle Mel Taylor, who runs the Blue Pits Inn, Manchester Road, Castleton, stayed up until the early hours of Monday morning to share his success.
2.2Denoting or belonging to the beginning of a historical period or cultural movement: early impressionism...
- The Islamic expansion of the early medieval period was not waged for glory, or any of the other factors I listed at the top of this op.
- As we get into the post-Roman / early medieval period we have a series of bows from Denmark and Germany.
- During the early post-war period, however, there was a marked turn towards a more analytical style.
2.3Occurring at the beginning of a sequence: the earlier chapters of the book...
- This early sequence, without a trace of dignity or sensitivity, sets the tone for the entire film.
- The early chapters are strong on narrative and pace but the ending sort of fades.
- A penniless writer used to sit here all day, writing the early draft chapters of her now famous novel.
2.4(Of a plant or crop) flowering or ripening before other varieties: early potatoes...
- However, for early crops in the south of the country, disease outbreak can be much earlier.
- Two types of monad pollen are present in early orchids, namely that with pollenkitt and that with elastoviscin.
- Many of the early maturing varieties are best when ripened under relatively cool conditions.
adverb
1Before the usual or expected time: I want to finish work early today...
- People are advised to book tickets early as it is expected that the show will sell out very quickly.
- Today I left work early to watch them play their deadly rivals St Hugo's at home and caught the second half.
- Today we woke up early and decided to see as much of the city as we could on foot.
Synonyms
early in the day, in the early morning;
at dawn, at daybreak, at cockcrow, with the lark
before the usual time, before the appointed time;
prematurely, too soon;
ahead of time, ahead of schedule, in good time
literary betimes
1.1Near the beginning of a period: we lost a couple of games early in the season...
- Chelsea had a good period early in the second half, but we weathered that and came back at them.
- They are now gearing up to host India for another three Tests and five one-day games early next year.
- Hudson should be inserted early in the game because he's often hot right out of the chute.
1.2Near the beginning of the day: I wrote this piece early one morning...
- In Beijing the announcement was put out early on the morning of the 30th.
- The Israel Defence Force (IDF) said it had been responding to rocket fire early yesterday.
- Although not a morning person whatsoever Ari forced herself out of bed early every morning so she could start to get ready.
1.3 (earlier) Before the present time or before the time one is referring to: you met my husband earlier...
- The theme of the film almost echoed the stories depicted earlier on stage and was not a remarkable hit.
- Claire had been arrested and bailed earlier on the day of her death for a previous criminal damage offence on a bus stop in Bolton.
noun (earlies)
1Potatoes which are ready to be harvested before the main crop.The versatile early potato Solanum tuberosum has many varieties, which have their own distinct season in Britain: earlies, second earlies and main crop....
- He is currently harvesting Lady Christl earlies which are being sold through Tesco's Welsh stores.
- We're only growing 2 varieties of spuds this year - Red Duke of York for earlies and Desiree for main crop.
2 informal Early shifts: she is on earlies...
- He asked to be put on earlies so he could pick her up from school.
- Because the ITV network is 24 hours a day, the whole thing is based on shift work so we work a series of earlies, lates and nights.
- But our allowances for working earlies, which means starting at 4.15 am, have stayed at £11.75 over the same period.
Phrases
at the earliest
early bird
the early bird catches the worm
early doors
an early grave
the early hours
an early night
early (or earlier) on
it's (or these are) early days
Derivatives
earliness
/ noun ...- Part of the excitement was the earliness of the departure.
- I didn't sleep a wink last night for thinking about everything, hence the unearthly earliness of these posts.
- This variety is touted for earliness, flavor and its manageable 6-to 7-pound size with harvest about 58 days from transplants, 79 days from seed.
Origin
Old English (as an adverb) ǣrlīce (see ere, -ly2), influenced by Old Norse árliga. The adjective use dates from Middle English.
The word early, like late, is from Old English, and is found in many idioms and proverbs. The early bird gets the worm is first recorded in 1636, and early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise goes as far back as 1496. Early doors, meaning early on in a game or contest, has become a cliché of sports reporting, but originally referred to admission to a music hall some time before the start of the performance, which was more expensive but gave you a wider choice of seating. The first record of its use is from 1883. The practice died out in the 1950s but the phrase was resurrected in footballing circles in the 1970s in its current sense, with the legendary English football manager Brian Clough (1935–2004) providing the first recorded example.