| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| SYLLABICATION: | ear·nest |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  ûr n st |
| NOUN: | 1. Money paid in advance as part payment to bind a contract or bargain. 2. A token of something to come; a promise or an assurance. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English ernest, variant of ernes, alteration of Old French erres, pl. of erre, pledge, from Latin arra, alteration of arrab , from Greek arrabn, earnest-money, of Canaanite origin. See crb in Appendix II.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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