ǣn-līc, adj., _alone, excellent, distinguished_: ǣnlīc ansȳn, _distinguished appearance_, 251; þēah þe hīo ǣnlīcu sȳ, _though she be beautiful_, 1942. ǣr (comparative form, from ā): 1) adv., _sooner, before, beforehand_, 15, 656, 695, 758, etc., _for a long time_, 2596; eft swā ǣr, _again as formerly_, 643; ǣr nē siððan, _neither sooner nor later_, 719; ǣr and sīð, _sooner and later_ (all times), 2501; nō þȳ ǣr (_not so much the sooner_), _yet not_, 755, 1503, 2082, 2161, 2467.--2) conjunct., _before, ere_: a) with the ind.: ǣr hīo tō setle gēong, 2020. b) w. subjunc.: ǣr gē fyr fēran, _before you travel farther_, 252; ǣr hē on hwurfe 164, so 677, 2819; ǣr þon dæg cwōme, _ere the day break_, 732; ǣr correlative to ǣr adv.: ǣr hē feorh seleð, aldor an ōfre, ǣr hē wille ..., _he will sooner_ (rather) _leave his life upon the shore, before_ (than) _he will_ ..., 1372.--3) prepos. with dat., _before_ ǣr dēaðe, _before death_, 1389; ǣr dæges hwīle, _before daybreak_, 2321; ǣr swylt-dæge, _before the day of death_, 2799. ǣror, comp. adv., _sooner, before-hand_, 810; _formerly_, 2655. ǣrra, comp. adj., _earlier_; instr. pl., ǣrran mǣlum, _in former times_, 908, 2238, 3036. ǣrest, superl.: 1) adv., _first of all, foremost_, 6, 617, 1698, etc.--2) as subst. n., _relation to, the beginning_: acc. þæt ic his ǣrest þē eft gesægde (_to tell thee in what relation it stood at first to the coat of mail that has been presented_), 2158. See Note. ǣr-dæg, st. m. (_before-day_), _morning-twilight, gray of morning_: dat. sg. mid ǣrdæge, 126; samod ǣrdæge, 1312, 2943. ǣrende, st. n., _errand, trust_: acc. sg., 270, 345. ǣr-fæder, st. m., _late father, deceased father_: nom sg. swā his ǣrfæder, 2623. ǣr-gestrēon, st. n., _old treasure, possessions dating from old times_: acc sg., 1758; gen. sg. swylcra fela ǣrgestrēona, _much of such old treasure_, 2233. See gestrēon. ǣr-geweorc, st. n., _work dating from old times_: nom. sg. enta ǣr-geweorc, _the old work of the giants_ (of the golden sword-hilt from Grendel's water-hall), 1680. See geweorc. ǣr-gōd, adj., _good since old times, long invested with dignity_ or _advantages_: æðeling ǣrgōd, 130; (eorl) ǣrgōd, 1330; īren ǣrgōd (_excellent sword_), 990, 2587. ǣr-wela, w. m., _old possessions, riches dating from old times_: acc. sg. ǣrwelan, 2748. See wela. ǣs, st. n., _carcass, carrion_: dat. (instr.) sg. ǣse, of Æschere's corpse, 1333. ǣt, st. m., _food, meat_: dat, sg., hū him æt ǣte spēow, _how he fared well at meat_, 3027. ǣttren (see attor), adj., _poisonous_: wæs þæt blōd tō þæs hāt, ǣttren ellorgāst, se ǣr inne swealt, _so hot was the blood, (and) poisonous the demon_ (Grendel's mother) _who died therein_, 1618 B