Erst Definition

Origin of Erst

• From Middle English erste, from Old English ǣresta (“first”), from Proto-Germanic *airistaz (“earliest, first”), equivalent to ere +‎ -est. Cognate with North Frisian eerst, ærst (“first”), West Frisian earst (“first”), Dutch eerste (“first”), German erste (“first”).

  From Wiktionary

• From Middle English erst, arst, erest, from Old English ǣrest (“first, erst, at first, before all”), from Proto-Germanic *airist (“erst”). Cognate with Scots erst (“erst”), Dutch eerst.

  From Wiktionary

• Middle English erest from Old English ǣrest ayer- in Indo-European roots

  From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition