Adjacent Words

Ere definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ERE, adv. Before; sooner than.
Ere sails were spread new oceans to explore.
The nobleman saith to him, Sir, come down ere my child die. John 4.
In these passages, ere is really a preposition, followed by a sentence, instead of a single word, as below.
ERE, prep. Before.
Our fruitful Nile
Flow'd ere the wonted season.

Merriam Webster's

I. preposition Etymology: Middle English er, from Old English ?r, from ?r, adverb, early, soon; akin to Old High German ?r earlier, Greek ?ri early Date: before 12th century before II,2 <contrived ere the beginning of the world — Norman Douglas> II. conjunction Date: before 12th century before III

Oxford Reference Dictionary

prep. & conj. poet. or archaic before (of time) (ere noon; ere they come). Etymology: OE ær f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ere Ere, v. t. To plow. [Obs.] See Ear, v. t. --Chaucer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ere Ere (?; 277), prep. & adv. [AS. ?r, prep., adv., & conj.; akin to OS., OFries., & OHG. ?r, G. eher, D. eer, Icel. [=a]r, Goth. air. [root]204. Cf. Early, Erst, Or, adv.] 1. Before; sooner than. [Archaic or Poetic] Myself was stirring ere the break of day. --Shak. Ere sails were spread new oceans to explore. --Dryden. Sir, come down ere my child die. --John iv. 49. 2. Rather than. I will be thrown into Etna, . . . ere I will leave her. --Shak. Ere long, before, shortly. --Shak. Ere now, formerly, heretofore. --Shak. Ere that, & Or are. Same as Ere. --Shak.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Ere means the same as 'before'. (LITERARY, OLD-FASHIONED) Take the water ere the clock strikes twelve. CONJ

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. ad. (Poetical.) Before, sooner than. II. prep. (Poetical.) Before, prior to.

Moby Thesaurus

already, ante, before, before all, earlier, early, ere then, erenow, formerly, heretofore, hitherto, in advance of, or ever, preceding, previously, prior to, priorly, theretofore, to, yet