ere
prep. C2 Proficiency US //ˈɛɹ// UK //ˈeə// ere
prep. an old-fashioned word for before. You might see it in old books or poems to show that one thing happens earlier than another.
prep. preceding in time; before. Primarily literary or archaic, it functions as a temporal preposition or conjunction in poetic contexts.
The sun will set ere the day is done.
The weary travelers hoped to reach the safety of the village ere the winter storm arrived.
In the quiet of the forest, the ancient trees seemed to whisper secrets of the land as it was ere the first cities were built.
Usage
Used as a preposition before a noun or as a conjunction before a clause. It is restricted to literary, poetic, or deliberately archaic registers.