adverb · rare

erst

First of all, beforeFirst of all, before (some other specified thing).

UK/ɜːst/US/ɝst/

Meaning

3 senses

(not comparable, obsolete)First of all, before (some other specified thing).
(not comparable, obsolete)Sooner (than); before.
(archaic, not comparable, poetic)Formerly, once, erstwhile.

More definitions

at a previous time

Origin

From Middle English erste, from Old English ǣresta (“first”), from Proto-West Germanic *ai

From Middle English erste, from Old English ǣresta (“first”), from Proto-West Germanic *airist (“earliest, first”), equivalent to ere + -est. Cognate with North Frisian iarst, iáárs, jarst, jest (“first”), West Frisian earst (“first”), Dutch eerste (“first”), German erste (“first”).

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