already
Part of speech: adv
Morphological type: derivation
Etymology: From Middle English alredy (“fully; already”), equivalent to al- (“all, completely”) + ready. Cognate with West Frisian alreeds (“already”), Dutch alreeds (“already”), Afrikaans alreeds (“already”), Middle Low German alreide, alreids ("already"; whence modern German Low German alreeds (“already”)), Danish allerede (“already”), Swedish allaredan (“already”), Norwegian Nynorsk allereie (“already”). More at all, ready.
The use as an intensifier in American English is a semantic loan from Yiddish שוין (shoyn), attested from 1903.
In Singapore English, the use of already as a marker of action completion and change of state is analogous to Hokkien 了 (liáu), Teochew 了 (liao²) and Mandarin 了 (le). Compare Malay (su)dah and Cantonese 咗 (zo²), 喇 (laa³).
Base: ready
Affixes: al-#Etymology_1
Inflected forms:
Senses:
gloss: Prior to some specified time, either past, present, or future; by this time; previously.
pos: adv
tags: not-comparable
examples: I was surprised that she hadn’t already told me the news.
Much of what he said I knew already.
I still haven't seen that movie. I hope you haven't already seen it either.
Tho, when-as all things ready were aright, / The Damzel was before the Altar ſet, / Being already dead with fearful fright.
slipping then my cloaths off, I crept under the bed-cloaths, where I found the young stripling already nestled, and the touch of his warm flesh rather pleas'd than alarm'd me.
It was already dusk, and the lamps were just being lighted as we paced up and down in front of Briony Lodge, waiting for the coming of its occupant.
Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick, already familiar to experts in the field.
gloss: So soon.
pos: adv
tags: not-comparable
examples: Are you quitting already?
gloss: An intensifier used to emphasize impatience or express exasperation.
pos: adv
tags: Canada
US
not-comparable
examples: I wish they'd finish already, so we can get going.
Enough already!
Be quiet already!
Enough already with the lack of glamour!
gloss: Indicates the completion of an action (whether past or hypothetical), or more generally, perfective aspect.
pos: adv
tags: Singapore
Singlish
not-comparable
examples: You frame the picture for me already anot?
“Yah, I sign already,” my mother replied.
gloss: Marks a change in state, more or less in the same manner as the inchoative aspect.
pos: adv
tags: Singapore
Singlish
not-comparable
examples: I don’t think he can take it already.
Your ice cream is melting already.
Overcook already, need to redo.
Your grandmother angry already.
Cannot wait already, buay tahan already. I hope she doesn’t complain to anyone.
Okay lah, okay lah. Maybe I senile already. Like this house.
Thank you ah, Mabel. But I think now don’t need already lah, make you come all the way to Braddell so leceh.
“Wah, so tall already, ah? Primary what already, ha?
Related words: yet
what
lah1–14
lor2–3
lor1
ah6
leh1–2
mah
leh3–6
one1–3
hor1
know
nia
only
sia
hor2
ah1–3
hah1–3
meh
ba2
leh7–11
ba1
liao
Gupta
A. F. (1992)
in
volume 18
number 1
→DOI
Derived words: alreadiness
always already
that ship has already sailed
that train has already left the station
Translations: