Dictionary definition · early
adjective
- at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time"early morning"
- being or occurring at an early stage of development"in an early stage"
- belonging to the distant past"the early inhabitants of Europe"
- very young"at an early age"
- 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."
- expected in the near future"look for an early end to the negotiations"
adverb
- during an early stage"early on in her career"
- before the usual time or the time expected"she graduated early"
- in good time"he awoke betimes that morning"
Source: Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).