ere

Meanings

1. At an earlier time.

1. Before; sooner than.

1. before.

1. Obsolete form of ear.

1. A contraction of is, there, and the indefinite article. Mainly used in questions.

1. A language spoken on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea.

1. Initialism of extended regular expression.

Etymology

From Middle English er, from Old English ǣr (adverb, conjunction, and preposition), from Proto-West Germanic *airi, from Proto-Germanic *airiz, comparative of Proto-Germanic *airi (“early”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éyeri (“day, morning”) (compare Avestan 𐬀𐬫𐬀𐬭 (ayar, “day”), Gk. ἠέριος (ēérios, “at daybreak”), see also era, Albanian herët (“early in the morning, at daybreak”) ). The adverb erstwhile retains the Old English superlative ǣrest (“earliest”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian eer (“before”), Dutch eer (“before, sooner than”), German ehe (“before”).