adj
Meaning 1
First.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable, obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
erst
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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General-American: /ɝst/
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Received-Pronunciation: /ɜːst/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)st
adv
Meaning 2
First of all, before (some other specified thing).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable, obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adv
Meaning 3
Sooner (than); before.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable, obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adv
Meaning 4
Formerly, once, erstwhile.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, not-comparable, poetic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adverb
Meaning 5
at a previous time;
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- at one time he loved her
- her erstwhile writing
- she was a dancer once
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: once, formerly, at one time, erstwhile
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
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”).