beforebefore

Before comes from Old English beforan ‘before, in front of’, from be- + foran ‘before’.

1. Old Englishc. 450–1150foran¹‘before’
2. Old Englishc. 450–1150beforan¹‘before, in front of’
3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bifore¹
4. Englishearliest quotation 1611before¹

1. ¹ Wiktionary, English before
2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “He that cometh after me is preferred before me.”.