Etymograph

English

early

Early comes from Middle English erly, and goes back to Old English ǣrlīċ.

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150ǣrlīċ1
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500erly1
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1913early1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English early
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1913, Joseph Crosby Lincoln, New York: “'Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres,…”.

Lineage

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150ǣrlīċWiktionary, English early
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500erlyWiktionary, English early
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1913earlyWiktionary, English early. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1913, Joseph Crosby Lincoln, New York: “'Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres,…”

Explore everything descended from ǣrlīċ →

Another origin of early

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ey-‘day, morning’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éyeri‘early, in the morning’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*airireconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*airiz‘earlier, before’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150ǣr‘early, previous, former’
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150ǣrlīċe
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500erly
  8. Englishtodayearly

No ads, ever. This is how the app stays alive.

Become a founding member, $29 onceWear this word, $32Support the app

Today it means

adj At a time in advance of the usual or expected event.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “early”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Old English ǣrlīċ / early