Earlies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The initial points or moments in a sequence or process; the earliest starters or first arrivals in time; the prompt beginnings of an event or period
2. The first occurrences or earliest elements in a series; those who come first or start ahead of others; the preliminary stages or onset of a time frame
3. The foremost instances or initial arrivals in a timeline; individuals or things that appear before others; the opening phases or earliest parts of a process or occurrence

Etymology: "Earlies" is a plain formation: the adjective "early" with the plural ending "-s" added, turning it into a noun for things that come first. The "early" it builds on goes back to Old English "ǣrlīce," meaning "in good time" or "soon," built from "ǣr" ("before") and "-līce," the adverbial ending that also gives us "-ly." So the word's core idea is simply being before the expected moment. The plural ending does the interesting work. Once "early" is pluralised, it stops describing a quality and names the things that possess it: the first ones, the leaders of a group, the prompt arrivals. That shift from adjective to countable noun is ordinary English grammar, and it is why the word reads so naturally as "the early ones" rather than as an unusual coinage.

Synonyms: early risers, early arrivals, morning people

Antonyms: latecomers, night owls