Early

Pronunciation: /ˈɜrli/

Definitions of early

adjective occurring before the usual or expected time

Example Sentences

A1 I wake up early every morning to go for a run.

A2 She arrived early for the meeting and had to wait for everyone else to show up.

B1 The early bird catches the worm, so I always try to start my day before sunrise.

B2 Getting to the airport early is essential to avoid missing your flight.

C1 The early stages of the project require careful planning and coordination.

C2 His early success in the industry can be attributed to his hard work and dedication.

adverb before the usual or expected time

Example Sentences

A1 I wake up early every morning.

A2 She arrived early for the meeting.

B1 He left early to avoid traffic.

B2 The project was completed early due to efficient teamwork.

C1 The conference call started early to accommodate participants from different time zones.

C2 The CEO always arrives early to prepare for important meetings.

Examples of early in a Sentence

formal The early bird catches the worm.

informal I woke up early to go for a run.

slang Let's bounce early to beat the traffic.

figurative She made an early exit from the meeting, avoiding further conflict.

Grammatical Forms of early

• past tense: earlied
• plural: earlies
• comparative: earlier
• superlative: earliest
• present tense: early
• future tense: will early
• perfect tense: have early
• continuous tense: is earlying
• singular: early
• positive degree: early
• infinitive: to early
• gerund: earlying
• participle: earlyed

Origin and Evolution of early

First Known Use: 1200 year

Language of Origin: Old English

Story behind the word: The word 'early' originated from the Old English word 'ærlīce' which meant 'before the due time or usual hour'.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the meaning of 'early' has evolved to refer to something happening or done before the usual or expected time, not just specifically before a due time or usual hour.