,
_before_
ǣr dēaðe, _before death_, 1389; ǣr dæges hwīle,
_before daybreak_, 2321; ǣr swylt-dæge, _before the day of death_, 2799.
Beowulf
--2) conjunct., _before, ere_: a)
with the ind.: ǣr hīo tō setle gēong, 2020. b) w. subjunc.: ǣr gē fyr
fēran, _before you travel farther_, 252; ǣr hē on hwurfe 164, so 677, 2819;
ǣr þon dæg cwōme, _ere the day break_, 732; ǣr correlative to ǣr adv.: ǣr
hē feorh seleð, aldor an ōfre, ǣr hē wille ..., _he will sooner_ (rather)
_leave his life upon the shore, before_ (than) _he will_ ..., 1372.--3)
prepos. with dat.
,
_before_
ǣr dēaðe, _before death_, 1389; ǣr dæges hwīle,
_before daybreak_, 2321; ǣr swylt-dæge, _before the day of death_, 2799.
ǣrest, superl.: 1) adv., _first of all, foremost_, 6, 617, 1698, etc.--2)
as subst. n., _relation to, the beginning_: acc. þæt ic his ǣrest þē eft
gesægde (_to tell thee in what relation it stood at first to the coat of
mail that has been presented_), 2158.
