different between early vs elementary

English

Etymology

From Middle English erly, erli, from Old English ?rl??e, ?rl??e (“early; early in the morning”), equivalent to ere +? -ly. Cognate with Old Norse árla ( > Danish and Norwegian årle, Swedish arla, Faroese árla). Compare also West Frisian earen (“early”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /??li/, enPR: ûr?l?
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /???.li/, enPR: ûr?l?
• Rhymes: -??(?)li
• Hyphenation: ear?ly
• Homophone: Earley

Adjective

early (comparative earlier, superlative earliest)

1. At a time in advance of the usual or expected event.

2. Arriving a time before expected; sooner than on time.

3. Near the start or beginning.

4. Having begun to occur; in its early stages.

5. (astronomy) Of a star or class of stars, hotter than the sun.

   Antonym: late

Synonyms

• (at a time in advance of the usual): premature
• (near the start): first

Antonyms

• (at a time in advance of the usual): late
• (illness: having begun to occur): terminal

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Adverb

early (comparative earlier, superlative earliest)

1. At a time before expected; sooner than usual.

2. Soon; in good time; seasonably.

   • Those that seek me early shall find me.

   • ?, Alfred Tennyson, The May Queen

     You must wake and call me early.

Synonyms

• prematurely

Antonyms

• late, tardily

Translations

Noun

early (plural earlies)

1. (informal) A shift (scheduled work period) that takes place early in the day.

Antonyms

• late

Anagrams

• Arely, Arley, Layer, Leary, Raley, Rayle, layer, leary, re-lay, relay

English

Alternative forms

• elementar (obsolete)

Etymology

From Latin element?rius (“elementary”), from elementum (“one of the four elements of antiquity; fundamentals”) + -?rius (adjective-forming suffix). Cognate with French élémentaire.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /(?)?l???m?nt(?)??/
• (General American) enPR: ?l'?-m?n?t?-r?, -tr?, IPA^(key): /??l???m?nt(?)?i/
• Rhymes: -?nt??i, -?nt?i
• Hyphenation: el?e?men?ta?ry

Adjective

elementary (comparative more elementary, superlative most elementary)

1. Relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something.
2. Relating to an elementary school.
3. (physics) Relating to a subatomic particle.
4. (archaic) Sublunary; not celestial; belonging to the sublunary sphere, to which the four classical elements (earth, air, fire and water) were confined; composed of or pertaining to these four elements.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

elementary (plural elementaries)

1. An elementary school
2. (mythology, mysticism) A supernatural being which is associated with the elements.

References

• John A. Simpson and Edward S. C. Weiner, editors (1989) , “elementary”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, ?ISBN