Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adverb Before long; soon.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Before the lapse of a long time; before long; soon.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adverb Before the �apse of a long time; soon; -- usually separated,
ere long .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adverb archaic Before long,
soon .
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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At first it was a constant source of irritation and disgust to Corliss, but erelong he grew not only to tolerate it, but to like it, and to wait for it eagerly.
CHAPTER 9 2010
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I thought that I should erelong be in her beautiful land admiring those bright and blooming Prairies, Natures Own beautiful gardens.
Letter from Mary Houston to Young John Allen,September 14, 1855 2008
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Truth is the child of time; erelong she shall appear to vindicate thee.
Matthew Yglesias » When I Hear The Word “Fluxus,” . . . 2007
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I waited until the cat approached me and, when erelong it had, anon splashed the water from my hand with a vigour into the face of the creature.
Rev. Jasper Pickery and Three Manifestations of the Devil 2009
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The morning was lovely; and erelong the town of Scutari opened on the view of the travellers, glittering, as now, with a variety of architecture, which, though it might be termed fantastical, could not be denied the praise of beauty.
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“I have reason, Senor Admiral, as you will find, I fear, erelong.”
Westward Ho! 2007
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Presently she began to chirrup to the bird: soon her chirrup grew clearer; erelong she was whistling; the whistle struck into a tune, and very sweetly and deftly it was executed.
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'My dear,' erelong again began Mrs. Pryor, a sort of timid, embarrassed abruptness marking her manner as she spoke, 'the young, especially those to whom nature has been favourable - often - frequently - anticipate - look forward to - to marriage as the end, the goal of their hopes.'
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I fear I should tire of the mute, monotonous innocence of the lamb; I should erelong feel as burdensome the nestling dove which never stirred in my bosom: but my patience would exult in stilling the flutterings and training the energies of the restless merlin.
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The chief of the senate exclaimed against it as a base action, and excited one another to repress the boldness and insolence of the soldiers, which would erelong become altogether ungovernable and violent, were they now permitted to deprive Aemilius of his triumph.
The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans Plutarch 2003
bilby commented on the word erelong
"Erelong other barks, and brigs, and schooners, which had in the mean while doubled the Cape, sailed by her in the smacking breeze, and our consciences were relieved."
- Henry David Thoreau, Cape Cod.
June 13, 2008