Bible Dictionaries
Early

　　A — 1: ὄρθρος ►

　　(Strong's #3722 — Noun Masculine — othros — or'-thros )

　　denotes "daybreak, dawn" (cp. Lat. orior, "to rise"). Used with the adverb batheos, "deeply," in Luke 24:1 , it means "at early dawn" (RV). In John 8:2 it is used in the genitive case, orthrou, "at dawn," i.e., "early in the morning." In Acts 5:21 , it is used with the article and preceded by the preposition hupo, "under, or about," lit., "about the dawn," "about daybreak," RV (for AV, "early in the morning.").

　　B — 1: ὀρθρινός ►

　　(Strong's #3720 — Adjective — orthrinos — or-thrin-os' )

　　"early," akin to A., is a later form of orthrios. It is found, in the most authentic mss., in Luke 24:22 , of the women at the sepulchre, lit., "early ones" (some texts have the form orthrios, "at daybreak").

　　B — 2: πρώϊμος ►

　　(Strong's #4406 — Adjective — proimos — pro'-ee-mos )

　　or proimos, a longer and later form of prois, pertaining to the "morning," is formed from pro, "before" (cp. protos, "first"), and used in James 5:7 , of the early rain.

　　C — 1: πρωΐ ►

　　(Strong's #4404 — Adverb — proi — pro-ee' )

　　"early in the day, at morn," is derived from pro, "before" (see B, No. 2, above). In Mark 16:2 , AV, it is translated "early in the morning;" in Mark 16:9; John 18:28; 20:1 , "early;" in Matthew 16:3; 20:1; 21:18; Mark 1:35; 11:20; 13:35; 15:1 , "in the morning;" in Acts 28:23 , "(from) morning." See MORNING.

　　Note: In Matthew 20:1 , hama, "at once," is redered "early."