Ere Definition

âr

preposition

Previous to; before.

American Heritage

Before (in time)

Webster's New World

(poetic, archaic) Before; sooner than.

Wiktionary

conjuntion

Before.

Webster's New World

Sooner than; rather than.

Webster's New World

adverb

(obsolete) At an earlier time. [10th-17th c.]

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

noun

Obsolete form of ear..

Wiktionary

interjection

(UK, slang) Used for emphasis at the beginning of a sentence when expressing an opinion or want.

’Ere, why don't we get some cigarettes?

Wiktionary

Origin of Ere

From Middle English ere, from Old English ǣr. (adverb, conjunction, & preposition), from Proto-Germanic *airiz comparative of Proto-Germanic *airi (“early”), from Proto-Indo-European *áyeri (“day, morning”) (compare Avestan (ayar, “day”), Gk. ἠέριος (ēérios, “at daybreak”), see also era). The adverb erstwhile retains the Old English superlative ǣrest (“earliest”).

From Wiktionary
Middle English er from Old English ǣr ayer- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From here.

From Wiktionary