Etymology dictionary. 2014.
Before — Be*fore , prep. [OE. beforen, biforen, before, AS. beforan; pref. be + foran, fore, before. See {Be }, and {Fore}.] 1. In front of; preceding in space; ahead of; as, to stand before the fire; before the house. [1913 Webster] His angel, who shall… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Before — Be*fore , adv. 1. On the fore part; in front, or in the direction of the front; opposed to {in the rear}. [1913 Webster] The battle was before and behind. 2 Chron. xiii. 14. [1913 Webster] 2. In advance. I come before to tell you. Shak. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
before — I. adverb or adjective Etymology: Middle English, adverb & preposition, from Old English beforan, from be + foran before, from fore Date: before 12th century 1. in advance ; ahead < marching on before > 2. at an earlier time ; previously … New Collegiate Dictionary
Before the mast — Before Be*fore , prep. [OE. beforen, biforen, before, AS. beforan; pref. be + foran, fore, before. See {Be }, and {Fore}.] 1. In front of; preceding in space; ahead of; as, to stand before the fire; before the house. [1913 Webster] His angel, who … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Before the wind — Before Be*fore , prep. [OE. beforen, biforen, before, AS. beforan; pref. be + foran, fore, before. See {Be }, and {Fore}.] 1. In front of; preceding in space; ahead of; as, to stand before the fire; before the house. [1913 Webster] His angel, who … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
before long — {adv. phr.} In a short time; without much delay; in a little while, soon. * /Class will be over before long./ * /We were tired of waiting and hoped the bus would come before long./ … Dictionary of American idioms
before long — {adv. phr.} In a short time; without much delay; in a little while, soon. * /Class will be over before long./ * /We were tired of waiting and hoped the bus would come before long./ … Dictionary of American idioms
Before Present — (BP) years are a time scale used in archaeology, geology, and other scientific disciplines to specify when events in the past occurred. Because the present time changes, standard practice is to use 1950 as the arbitrary origin of the age scale.… … Wikipedia
before you know it — {adv. phr.} Sooner than one would expect. * /Don t despair; we ll be finished with this work before you know it!/ … Dictionary of American idioms
before you know it — {adv. phr.} Sooner than one would expect. * /Don t despair; we ll be finished with this work before you know it!/ … Dictionary of American idioms
Before Night Falls — (ISBN 1 852 42808 2) is the 1992 autobiography of gay Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas, describing his life in Cuba, his time in prison, and his ultimate escape to the United States. It was on the New York Times list of the ten best books of the year … Wikipedia
