Wiktionary

already

English

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Etymology

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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 German schon and Yiddish שוין (shoyn).

In Singapore English, the use of already as a marker of action completion and change of state (i.e., perfective and inchoative aspects respectively) is analogous to Hokkien 了 (liáu), Teochew 了 (liao2) and Mandarin 了 (le). Compare Malay (su)dah and Cantonese 喇 (laa3).

Pronunciation

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Adverb

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already (not comparable)

  1. Prior to some specified time, either past, present, or future; by this time; previously.
    I was surprised that she hadn’t already told me the news.
    Much of what he said I knew already.
  2. So soon.
    Are you quitting already?
  3. (US) An intensifier used to emphasize impatience or express exasperation.
    I wish they'd finish already, so we can get going.
    Enough already!
    Be quiet already!
    • 1988 June 24, Liz Smith, Toledo Blade‎[1], Toledo, Ohio, page P-5:
      Enough already with the lack of glamour!
  5. (Singapore, Singlish) Indicates action completion or change of state.
    Synonym: (Singlish) liao
    You frame the picture for me already anot? ― Have you framed the picture yet?
    I don’t think he can take it already. ― I don’t think he can take it any more.
    Your ice cream is melting already. ― Your ice cream is starting to melt.
    Overcook already, need to redo. ― We’ve overcooked it, we need to redo it.
    Your grandmother angry already. ― Your grandmother is now angry.
    • 1999, Alfian Sa'at, Corridor, Singapore: SNP Editions, →OCLC, page 136:
      “Yah, I sign already,” my mother replied.
    • 2006, Elangovan, Smegma, →ISBN, page 39:
      Cannot wait already, buay tahan already. I hope she doesn’t complain to anyone.
    • 2009, Jean Tay, Boom, Epigram Books, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii:
      Okay lah, okay lah. Maybe I senile already. Like this house.

Usage notes

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  • Already may be used with the present perfect (I have already done that), the past perfect (I had already done it by then), the future perfect (When you arrive, the business will already have been completed) or the simple future (When you arrive, the business will already be complete).
  • "Already" and "all ready" do not mean the same thing. The two-word term can be used to mean "fully prepared."

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • → Gulf Arabic: أوردي (orridi)

Translations

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See also

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References

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  • Bao, Zhiming (1995) “Already in Singapore English”, in World Englishes‎[2], volume 14, number 2, pages 181–188

Anagrams

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