early

Early is an adjective and adverb indicating occurrence near the beginning of a period, or happening before the usual or expected time. As an adverb, it answers questions of time, as in “They arrived early.” As an adjective, it describes objects or events associated with the start or a preceding phase, such as early morning or early stages of development. In temporal usage, early contrasts with late and can imply priority or precedence, as in early access or early priority. In biology and life history, early refers to initial life stages, such as early childhood. In historical study, the term is used to designate initial periods within larger eras, such as the early modern period, depending on scholarly convention.

Etymology traces early to Old English and Proto-Germanic roots meaning beforehand or in advance, with the form developing through Middle English to the modern word. The term has many productive compounds and phrases, including early hours, early warning, early adopters, and early retirement, which extend its use beyond simple time references.

Usage notes emphasize timeliness and planning rather than quality; something done early may save time or reflect foresight, and the sense is often relative to context, such as early in the morning versus early in a schedule that starts late. Early can also denote sequence or priority, as in early stages of a project or early life in a biography.

See also: early bird, early period, early life, early modern, early warning.