already

English Online Dictionary. What means already‎? What does already mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English alredy (“fully; already”), equivalent to al- (“all, completely”) +‎ ready. Cognate with West Frisian alreeds (“already”), Dutch alreeds (“already”), Afrikaans alreeds (“already”), Middle Low German alreide, alreids ("already"; whence modern German Low German alreeds (“already”)), Danish allerede (“already”), Swedish allaredan (“already”), Norwegian Nynorsk allereie (“already”). More at all, ready.

The use as an intensifier in American English is a semantic loan from German schon and Yiddish שוין (shoyn).

In Singapore English, the use of already as a marker of action completion and change of state (i.e., perfective and inchoative aspects respectively) is analogous to Hokkien 了 (liáu), Teochew 了 (liao²) and Mandarin 了 (le). Compare Malay (su)dah and Cantonese 咗 (zo²), 喇 (laa³).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɔːlˈɹɛdi/
• IPA^(key): (General American) /ɔlˈɹɛdi/, (cot–caught merger) /ɑlˈɹɛdi/
• (Indic) IPA^(key): /ɒlˈrɛdi/, /əlˈrɛdi/
• Hyphenation: al‧read‧y
• Rhymes: -ɛdi

Adverb

already (not comparable)

1. Prior to some specified time, either past, present, or future; by this time; previously.
2. So soon.

3. (US) An intensifier used to emphasize impatience or express exasperation.
5. (Singapore, Singlish) Indicates action completion or change of state.

   Synonym: (Singlish) liao

   You frame the picture for me already anot? ― Have you framed the picture yet?

   I don’t think he can take it already. ― I don’t think he can take it any more.

   Your ice cream is melting already. ― Your ice cream is starting to melt.

   Overcook already, need to redo. ― We’ve overcooked it, we need to redo it.

   Your grandmother angry already. ― Now your grandmother’s angry.

Usage notes

• Already may be used with the present perfect (I have already done that), the past perfect (I had already done it by then), the future perfect (When you arrive, the business will already have been completed) or the simple future (When you arrive, the business will already be complete).
• "Already" and "all ready" do not mean the same thing. The two-word term can be used to mean "fully prepared."

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Gulf Arabic: أوردي (orridi)

Translations

See also

• yet

References

• Bao, Zhiming (1995) “Already in Singapore English”, in World Englishes‎^[2], volume 14, number 2, pages 181–188

Anagrams

• Yaralde, adlayer