Definition of "ere" []

• Previous to; before. (preposition)
• Rather than; before. (conjunction)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "I told 'im to be' ere under this tree; he wants more lookin 'after than any -- oh, _'ere_ you are!"
• "Doubtless he will be stripped of this title ere long, like Captain Dreyfus having his sword ceremonially broken and the epaulettes torn from his shoulders."
• "The ere is a problem, we know what we need to look for and we need to enforce the existing laws."