word-vault
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A lightweight JavaScript package for English word definitions and collections.
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{
"term": "early",
"partOfSpeech": "adjective",
"ox3000": true,
"cefr": "a1",
"definitions": [
{
"senseNumber": 1,
"definition": "near the beginning of a period of time, an event etc.",
"sensetop": "it is too early to do something",
"cefr": "a1",
"ox3000": true,
"examples": [
{
"text": "the early morning"
},
{
"text": "my earliest memories"
},
{
"text": "The project is still in **the early stages**."
},
{
"text": "the early 1990s"
},
{
"text": "in **the early years** of the twentieth century"
},
{
"text": "in **the early days of** space exploration *(= when it was just beginning)*"
},
{
"text": "**It is too early to tell** how badly the economy will be affected.",
"contextForm": "it is too early to do something"
},
{
"text": "He's in his early twenties."
},
{
"text": "Mozart’s **early works** *(= those written at the beginning of his career)*"
},
{
"text": "Early booking is essential, as space is limited."
},
{
"text": "The ruling overturned the court’s earlier decision."
},
{
"text": "The earliest possible date I can make it is the third."
},
{
"text": "The earliest description of this species dates from 1703."
},
{
"text": "The earliest mention of the village is in a sixteenth-century manuscript."
},
{
"text": "These discoveries were made at a surprisingly early date."
},
{
"text": "From early childhood he suffered from very poor health."
},
{
"text": "during the early part of December"
},
{
"text": "An earlier version of this article appeared online."
}
],
"topics": ["Time"],
"collocations": {
"verbs": ["be", "feel", "seem"],
"adverb": ["extremely", "fairly", "very"],
"preposition": ["for", "in"]
}
},
{
"senseNumber": 2,
"definition": "arriving, or done before the usual, expected or planned time",
"cefr": "a1",
"ox3000": true,
"examples": [
{
"text": "You're early! I wasn't expecting you till seven."
},
{
"text": "The bus was ten minutes early."
},
{
"text": "an early breakfast"
},
{
"text": "He learnt to play the piano **at an early age**."
},
{
"text": "Let's **make an early start** tomorrow."
},
{
"text": "She's an **early riser** *(= she gets up early in the morning)*."
},
{
"text": "early potatoes *(= that are available before other types of potato)*"
},
{
"text": "I'm sorry I'm a bit early."
},
{
"text": "It's a little early for lunch."
},
{
"text": "Victoria has decided to take early retirement."
}
],
"collocations": {
"verbs": ["be", "feel", "seem"],
"adverb": ["extremely", "fairly", "very"],
"preposition": ["for", "in"]
}
},
{
"senseNumber": 3,
"definition": "belonging to the beginning of a period of history or a cultural movement",
"cefr": "a1",
"ox3000": true,
"examples": [
{
"text": "The gallery has an unrivalled collection of early twentieth-century art."
},
{
"text": "the **early modern period** from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century"
},
{
"text": "The main construction of the fort belongs to the early medieval period."
},
{
"text": "The painting is a fine example of early Impressionism."
}
]
},
{
"senseNumber": null,
"definition": "as soon as possible",
"labels": "(business)",
"examples": [
{
"text": "Please contact us at your earliest convenience."
}
]
},
{
"senseNumber": null,
"definition": "very early in the morning",
"examples": [
{
"text": "You're up bright and early today!"
}
]
},
{
"senseNumber": null,
"definition": "a person who gets up, arrives, etc. very early",
"labels": "(humorous)",
"examples": [
{
"text": "You’re an early bird this morning!"
}
]
},
{
"senseNumber": null,
"definition": "the person who takes the opportunity to do something before other people will have an advantage over them",
"labels": "(saying)",
"examples": []
},
{
"senseNumber": null,
"definition": "at an early stage, especially in a game or competition",
"labels": "(British English, informal)",
"examples": [
{
"text": "Suddenly we lost three home matches early doors."
},
{
"text": "The team had the game in the bag early doors after tries from Ellis and Wilkins."
}
]
},
{
"senseNumber": null,
"definition": "the period of time very early in the morning, soon after midnight",
"examples": [
{
"text": "The fighting began in the early hours of Saturday morning."
},
{
"text": "The party continued well into the early hours."
}
]
},
{
"senseNumber": null,
"definition": "used to say that it is too soon to be sure how a situation will develop",
"labels": "(British English)",
"examples": [
{
"text": "It’s early days yet. We don’t know if the play will be a success."
}
],
"topics": ["Doubt, guessing and certainty"]
}
],
"pronunciations": {
"uk": [
{
"pronunciation": "/ˈɜːli/",
"audio": "ea/early/early__gb_1.mp3"
}
],
"us": [
{
"pronunciation": "/ˈɜːrli/",
"audio": "ea/early/early__us_1.mp3"
}
]
},
"wordOrigin": "Old English (as an adverb) ǣrlīce (see ere, -ly), influenced by Old Norse árliga. The adjective use dates from Middle English."
}