erst

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ɜːst/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(ûrst)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
erst  (ûrst),USA pronunciation adv. [Archaic.]
  1. before the present time;
    formerly.
  • Middle English erest, Old English ǣrest (cognate with Old High German ērist, German erst), equivalent. to ǣr ere + -est -est1 bef. 1000

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
erst, earst / ɜːst/
  1. long ago; formerly
  2. at first
Etymology: Old English ǣrest earliest, superlative of ǣr early; see ere; related to Old High German ērist, Dutch eerst
'erst' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
ere - erstwhile

Forum discussions with the word(s) "erst" in the title:


Look up "erst" at Merriam-Webster
Look up "erst" at dictionary.com
  • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

In other languages: Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Romanian | German | Dutch | Swedish | Russian | Polish | Czech | Greek | Turkish | Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Arabic

Advertisements
Advertisements
Report an inappropriate ad.
WordReference.com
WORD OF THE DAY
GET THE DAILY EMAIL!

Become a WordReference Supporter to view the site ad-free.