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Mawson, C.O.S., ed. (1870–1938). Roget’s International Thesaurus. 1922.

Class I. Words Expressing Abstract Relations
Section VI. Time
3. Time with reference to an Effect or Purpose

132. Earliness.

   NOUN:EARLINESS &c. adj.; morning [See Morning].
  PUNCTUALITY; promptitude (activity) [See Activity]; haste &c (velocity) [See Velocity]; suddenness (instantaneity) [See Instantaneity].
  PREMATURITY, precocity, precipitation, anticipation, prevenience; a stitch in time.
   VERB:BE EARLY &c. adj.; be beforehand &c. adv.; keep time, take time by the forelock, anticipate, forestall; have the start, gain the start; steal a march upon; gain time, draw on futurity; bespeak, secure, engage, preëngage.
  ACCELERATE; expedite (quicken) [See Velocity]; make haste (hurry) [See Haste].
   ADJECTIVE:EARLY, prime, timely, seasonable, in time, punctual, forward; prompt (active) [See Activity]; summary.
  PREMATURE, precipitate, precocious; prevenient, anticipatory; rath or rathe [obs. or poetic].
  SUDDEN (instantaneous) [See Instantaneity]; unexpected [See Inexpectation]; immanent, impending, near, near at hand; immediate.
   ADVERB:EARLY, soon, anon, betimes, rath or rathe [poetic]; eftsoon or eftsoons [archaic]; ere long, before long; punctually &c. adj.; to the minute; in time; in good time, in military time, in pudding time [obs.], in due time; time enough, on time, on the dot [slang].
  BEFOREHAND; prematurely &c. adj.; precipitately (hastily) [See Haste]; too soon; before its time, before one’s time; in anticipation; unexpectedly [See Inexpectation].
  SUDDENLY (instantaneously) [See Instantaneity]; before one can say “Jack Robinson,” at short notice, extempore; on the spur of the moment, on the spur of the occasion [Bacon]; at once; on the spot, on the instant; at sight; off hand, out of hand; à vue d’œil [F.]; straight, straightway, straightforth; forthwith, incontinently, summarily, instanter, forthright [archaic], immediately, briefly, shortly, erewhile [archaic], quickly, speedily, apace, before the ink is dry, almost immediately, presently, at the first opportunity, in no long time, by and by, in a while, directly.
   QUOTATIONS:
  1. Touch and go, no sooner said than done.
  2. Tout vient à point à qui sait attendre.
  3. Misers get up early in the morning; and burglars … get up the night before.—Chesterton