early

Forms

1.At a time in advance of the usual or expected event.
- She gets up early every morning.
- Tom gets up early in the morning.
- What has brought you here so early?
2.Arriving a time before expected; sooner than on time.
- You're early today! I don't usually see you before nine o'clock.
- The early guests sipped their punch and avoided each other's eyes.
3.After but close to the start of a period of time.
- The play "Two Gentlemen of Verona" is one of Shakespeare's early works.
- Early results showed their winning 245 out of 300 seats in parliament. The main opponent locked up only 31 seats.
- It’s one of the earliest pieces in the comprehensive collection of metronomes by the British instrument dealer Tony Bingham, which forms the bulk of the Basel exhibition.
4.In the starting hours of the day.
- It's too early for this sort of thing. I'm not awake yet.

1.At a time before expected; sooner than usual.
- I had children too early (in life), so my first baby arrived early.
- We finished the project an hour sooner than scheduled, so we left early.
- No matter how early I came down, I would find him on the veranda, smoking cigarettes, or otherwise his man would be there with a message to say that his master would shortly join me if I would kindly wait.
2.Soon; in good time; seasonably.

1.A shift (scheduled work period) that takes place early in the day.(informal)
- On my first day on the watch after leaving the shoplifting squad I paraded on earlies but had completely forgotten to take my ear ring off.

Very common· #434

From Middle English erly, erlich, earlich

From Old English ǣrlīċ (“early”, adjective), equivalent to ere + -ly.