early

early
    adv 1: during an early stage; "early on in her career" [syn:
           {early on}, {early}]
    2: before the usual time or the time expected; "she graduated
       early"; "the house was completed ahead of time" [syn:
       {early}, {ahead of time}, {too soon}] [ant: {belatedly},
       {late}, {tardily}]
    3: in good time; "he awoke betimes that morning" [syn: {early},
       {betimes}]
    adj 1: at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of
           events or before the usual or expected time; "early
           morning"; "an early warning"; "early diagnosis"; "an
           early death"; "took early retirement"; "an early spring";
           "early varieties of peas and tomatoes mature before most
           standard varieties" [ant: {late}, {middle}]
    2: being or occurring at an early stage of development; "in an
       early stage"; "early forms of life"; "early man"; "an early
       computer" [ant: {late}, {later(a)}]
    3: belonging to the distant past; "the early inhabitants of
       Europe"; "former generations"; "in other times" [syn:
       {early(a)}, {former(a)}, {other(a)}]
    4: very young; "at an early age"
    5: of an early stage in the development of a language or
       literature; "the Early Hebrew alphabetical script is that
       used mainly from the 11th to the 6th centuries B.C."; "Early
       Modern English is represented in documents printed from 1476
       to 1700" [ant: {late}, {middle}]
    6: expected in the near future; "look for an early end to the
       negotiations"
    

Early \Ear"ly\, a. [Compar. {Earlier} ([~e]r"l[i^]*[~e]r);
   superl. {Earliest}.] [OE. earlich. [root]204. See {Early},
   adv.]
   1. In advance of the usual or appointed time; in good season;
      prior in time; among or near the first; -- opposed to
      {late}; as, the early bird; an early spring; early fruit.
      [1913 Webster]

            Early and provident fear is the mother of safety.
                                                  --Burke.
      [1913 Webster]

            The doorsteps and threshold with the early grass
            springing up about them.              --Hawthorne.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Coming in the first part of a period of time, or among the
      first of successive acts, events, etc.
      [1913 Webster]

            Seen in life's early morning sky.     --Keble.
      [1913 Webster]

            The forms of its earlier manhood.     --Longfellow.
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            The earliest poem he composed was in his seventeenth
            summer.                               --J. C.
                                                  Shairp.
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   {Early English} (Philol.) See the Note under {English}.

   {Early English architecture}, the first of the pointed or
      Gothic styles used in England, succeeding the Norman style
      in the 12th and 13th centuries.

   Syn: Forward; timely; not late; seasonable.
        [1913 Webster]
    

Early \Ear"ly\ ([~e]r"l[y^]), adv. [OE. erli, erliche, AS.
   [=ae]rl[imac]ce; [=ae]r sooner + l[imac]c like. See {Ere},
   and {Like}.]
   Soon; in good season; seasonably; betimes; as, come early.
   [1913 Webster]

         Those that me early shall find me.       --Prov. viii.
                                                  17.
   [1913 Webster]

         You must wake and call me early.         --Tennyson.
   [1913 Webster]
    

Early, IA (city, FIPS 23475)
  Location: 42.46087 N, 95.15252 W
  Population (1990): 649 (298 housing units)
  Area: 1.0 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
  Zip code(s): 50535
Early, TX (city, FIPS 21904)
  Location: 31.74452 N, 98.94073 W
  Population (1990): 2380 (992 housing units)
  Area: 6.3 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
  Zip code(s): 76801
    

Early, IA -- U.S. city in Iowa
   Population (2000):    605
   Housing Units (2000): 293
   Land area (2000):     0.394821 sq. miles (1.022582 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    0.394821 sq. miles (1.022582 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            23475
   Located within:       Iowa (IA), FIPS 19
   Location:             42.461903 N, 95.151290 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     50535
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Early, IA
    Early
    

Early, TX -- U.S. city in Texas
   Population (2000):    2588
   Housing Units (2000): 1080
   Land area (2000):     2.567012 sq. miles (6.648529 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    2.567012 sq. miles (6.648529 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            21904
   Located within:       Texas (TX), FIPS 48
   Location:             31.744601 N, 98.941171 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     76801
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Early, TX
    Early
    

Early -- U.S. County in Georgia
   Population (2000):    12354
   Housing Units (2000): 5338
   Land area (2000):     511.232451 sq. miles (1324.085913 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    5.038120 sq. miles (13.048671 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    516.270571 sq. miles (1337.134584 sq. km)
   Located within:       Georgia (GA), FIPS 13
   Location:             31.311249 N, 84.936136 W
   Headwords:
    Early
    Early, GA
    Early County
    Early County, GA
    

129 Moby Thesaurus words for "early":
      a priori, advanced, ages ago, ahead, ahead of time, already,
      anachronistic, ancient, anciently, antecedent, antedated,
      antediluvian, anterior, anticipative, anticipatory, antiquated,
      antique, away back, back, backward, before, before all, beforehand,
      beforetime, beginning, behind time, behindhand, betimes,
      bright and early, ci-devant, dated, earlier, elder, ere, ere then,
      erenow, erstwhile, ex post facto, first, fore, foredated,
      foregoing, forehand, forehanded, foresighted, foresightedly,
      former, formerly, heretofore, hitherto, immemorial, in advance,
      in ancient times, in anticipation, in good time, in olden times,
      in times past, inappropriate, initial, initially, inopportune,
      into the past, late, long ago, long since, metachronistic,
      misdated, mistimed, of old, of yore, old, olden, older, once,
      onetime, or ever, original, originally, out of date, out of season,
      overdue, oversoon, parachronistic, past, past due, pioneer,
      postdated, preceding, precipitant, precocious, precociously,
      precurrent, preexistent, prehistoric, premature, prematurely,
      prevenient, previous, previously, primal, prime, primeval,
      primitive, primordial, prior, priorly, pristine, prochronistic,
      quondam, recent, retroactive, retrospective, seasonably, senior,
      some time ago, some time back, sometime, soon, tardy, then,
      theretofore, timely, unanticipated, unexpected, unpunctual,
      unseasonable, untimely, years ago, yet