Origin: French suffix -ier
Earlier has 6 different meanings across 2 categories:
comparative form of early: more early
"She finished her homework earlier than she had planned to."
In plain English: Earlier means happening before something else, like finishing your homework before you go out to play.
"The earlier train arrives at noon."
Usage: Do not use "earlier" as an adjective to describe nouns; instead, use it only as an adverb to compare time or actions. For example, say "the earlier meeting" incorrectly when you mean the comparative adjective "earlier," which should actually be phrased as "an earlier meeting."
before now
"why didn't you tell me in the first place?"
comparative form of early: more early
"I arrived earlier than I had planned to avoid the rush hour traffic."
In plain English: Earlier means before something else happens, usually referring to a time that has already passed.
"I arrived at the party earlier than I had planned."
Usage: Use "earlier" to indicate that an action happened before another event or at a time preceding the present moment. It functions as both a comparative adjective and an adverb to show something occurred sooner than expected or than something else.
Derived from Old English ǣrlicor, this comparative adverb originates from the root ǣr meaning "before" or "previously." It evolved to describe something occurring at an earlier time than another.