afore

• affor

From Middle English afore, aforn, from Old English onforan or ætforan; equivalent to a- +‎ fore.

• (General American) IPA^(key): /əˈfɔɹ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /əˈfɔː/
• (rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /əˈfo(ː)ɹ/
• (non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /əˈfoə/

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)

afore (not comparable)

1. (archaic, dialectal) Before.
   • 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene ii]:

     Stephano: He's in his fit now ; and doe's not talke after the wiſeſt ; hee ſhall taſte of my Bottle : if hee haue neuer drunke wine afore, it will goe neere to remoue his Fit : […]

   • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 1, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:

     A chap named Eleazir Kendrick and I had chummed in together the summer afore and built a fish-weir and shanty at Setuckit Point, down Orham way. For a spell we done pretty well.

2. (nautical) In the fore part of a ship.

afore

1. Before; in advance of the time of.
   • 1989, Edward Chisnall, Bell in the tree; The Glasgow story:

     "Oh aye!" his face lit up with a smile. "I mind that! Where was that?" "That was us when we all worked in the shop, afore the War." "Oh aye …?" he frowned. "Who …?" She took the photograph back from him and reached inside her apron pocket for her spectacles.

2. Before; situated geographically or metaphorically in front of.

afore

1. In advance of the time when; before.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Ezekiel 33:22:

     Now the hand of the Lord was vpon mee in the euening, afore hee that was escaped came, and had opened my mouth vntill hee came to mee in the morning, and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumbe.

• afore-

• e-fora

• affore, affor, afor, avore

afore

1. before; afore

afore

1. before; afore: in advance of the time of
   • c. 1370–1450, Laurence de Premierfait, Des cas des nobles hommes et femmes, as quoted in Lydgate's Fall of Princes (1923, The Carnegie Institution of Washington):

     Affor tyme thei wer but bestiall,

     Till thei to resoun be lawes wer constreyned,

     Vndir discrecioun bi statutis naturall

2. before; afore: situated geographically or metaphorically in front of
   • 1399, Rich. Redeless IV, 72

     and somme were so ffers

     at ffrist come,

     that they bente on a bonet,

     and bare a topte saile

     affor the wynde ffresshely,

     to make a good ffare

afore

1. before; afore: in advance of the time when

From Middle English afore. More at English afore.

• IPA^(key): /əˈfoːr/

afore (not comparable)

1. (of place) before, in front
2. (of time) before, previously, in advance

afore

1. (of place) before, in front of
2. (of time) before

afore

1. (of place) before, rather than

• Eagle, Andy, ed. (2016) The Online Scots Dictionary, Scots Online.

afore

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of aforar.
2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of aforar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of aforar.
4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of aforar.