What does erelong mean?
Erelong is an adverb meaning 'before long' or 'soon,' used to indicate that something will happen after only a short interval. Formed from the archaic preposition 'ere' (meaning 'before') combined with 'long,' the word carries a distinctly literary and old-fashioned tone. It was more common in earlier centuries of English writing and survives today chiefly in historical fiction, poetry, and prose that deliberately evokes a bygone register — the novels of Charles Dickens being a well-known habitat. A modern writer might say, 'Erelong the fog lifted and the harbour came into view,' lending the sentence a gently antique flavour that plainer words like 'soon' would lack. Because it is no longer part of everyday vocabulary, using erelong is a stylistic choice rather than a neutral one: it signals formality, nostalgia, or period atmosphere. The two-word variant 'ere long' remains equally valid and may read more naturally to contemporary eyes.
adverbBefore long; soon; in a short time. An archaic or literary adverb indicating that something will happen shortly.
- Before long; soon; in a short time.
"The storm clouds gathered on the horizon, and erelong the first drops of rain began to fall."
"She assured him she would return erelong, once her errands in town were done."
"Erelong the village learned of the stranger's arrival, and curiosity spread from house to house."
Erelong is one of those rare English words that hides another word inside it — 'ere' simply means 'before,' making erelong literally 'before long.' It appears in the works of Dickens and other Victorian writers, giving prose an instantly old-world flavour.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of erelong
Erelong derives from Middle English, combining 'ere,' an archaic preposition and conjunction meaning 'before' (itself from Old English 'ǣr'), with 'long,' meaning a length of time. The compound literally translates to 'before long.' The word has been part of English since at least the early modern period and was especially at home in literary and narrative prose through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, though it has steadily fallen out of common use since then.
How erelong is actually used
Erelong is archaic and literary; it is rarely used in modern speech and appears mainly in historical fiction, poetry, or deliberately old-fashioned prose. Writers sometimes spell it as two words ('ere long'), which is equally acceptable and slightly more transparent to modern readers.
Easily confused with erelong
Erelong means 'soon' or 'before long,' while 'along' refers to movement or position following a line or path.