ere

Etymology 1

From Middle English er, from Old English ǣr (adverb, conjunction, and preposition), from Proto-West Germanic *airi, from Proto-Germanic *airiz, comparative of Proto-Germanic *airi (“early”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éyeri (“day, morning”) (compare Avestan 𐬀𐬫𐬀𐬭 (ayar, “day”), Gk. ἠέριος (ēérios, “at daybreak”), see also era, Albanian herët (“early in the morning, at daybreak”) ). The adverb erstwhile retains the Old English superlative ǣrest (“earliest”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian eer (“before”), Dutch eer (“before, sooner than”), German eher (“earlier”).

adv

1. (obsolete) At an earlier time.

prep

1. (poetic, archaic) Before; sooner than.

conj

1. (poetic, archaic) Before.

Etymology 2

noun

1. Obsolete form of ear.
   As plesaunt to the ere as the blacke sanctus Of a sad sorte vpon a mery pyn. 1533, R. Saltwood, (Please provide the book title or journal name)