See eher in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "de",
"2": "gmh",
"3": "ērer"
},
"expansion": "Middle High German ērer",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "de",
"2": "goh",
"3": "ēriro"
},
"expansion": "Old High German ēriro",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "de",
"2": "gem-pro",
"3": "*airizô"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Germanic *airizô",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "nl",
"2": "eerder"
},
"expansion": "Dutch eerder",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "gmh",
"2": "ēr"
},
"expansion": "Middle High German ēr",
"name": "m+"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "goh",
"2": "ēr"
},
"expansion": "Old High German ēr",
"name": "m+"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "gem-pro",
"2": "*airiz"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Germanic *airiz",
"name": "m+"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "nl",
"2": "eer"
},
"expansion": "Dutch eer",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ere"
},
"expansion": "English ere",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "got",
"2": "𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌹𐍃"
},
"expansion": "Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌹𐍃 (airis)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "goh",
"2": "-"
},
"expansion": "Old High German",
"name": "m+"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Chiefly from haplology of Middle High German ērer, from Old High German ēriro, from Proto-Germanic *airizô. Compare Dutch eerder.\nLikely conflated with Middle High German ēr, a rarer byform of ē (whence modern eh, ehe), from Old High German ēr, from Proto-Germanic *airiz, adverbial form of the above. Cognate with Dutch eer, English ere, Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌹𐍃 (airis). The final /r/ was regularly lost in Late Old High German (cf. da, hie, wo), but survived regionally (chiefly in Central German).",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "de",
"2": "adverb",
"3": "",
"4": "",
"5": "",
"6": "am {{{2}}}",
"head": "",
"sort": ""
},
"expansion": "eher",
"name": "head"
},
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "eher",
"name": "de-adv"
}
],
"lang": "German",
"lang_code": "de",
"pos": "adv",
"related": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
"word": "ehe"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
"word": "eh"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
"word": "erste"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
"word": "ziemlich"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "61 11 11 18",
"kind": "other",
"name": "German entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "75 8 8 8",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with 1 entry",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "77 8 8 8",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_english_offsets": [
[
34,
41
]
],
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
39,
43
]
],
"english": "I'm sorry, but I couldn’t make it earlier.",
"text": "Es tut mir leid, aber ich konnte nicht eher kommen.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"form_of": [
{
"extra": "earlier, sooner",
"word": "bald"
}
],
"glosses": [
"comparative degree of bald: earlier, sooner"
],
"id": "en-eher-de-adv-3x3rh4rt",
"links": [
[
"bald",
"bald#German"
],
[
"earlier",
"earlier"
],
[
"sooner",
"sooner"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "früher"
}
],
"tags": [
"comparative",
"form-of"
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"bold_english_offsets": [
[
9,
15
]
],
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
11,
15
]
],
"english": "It seems fairly unlikely that she will ever go abroad.",
"text": "Es scheint eher unwahrscheinlich, dass sie je ins Ausland geht.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"bold_english_offsets": [
[
86,
96
]
],
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
77,
81
]
],
"english": "A parcel bomb, which arrived in the Chancellery at the beginning of last week, was of relatively small explosive force.",
"ref": "2010, Der Spiegel, number 45/2010, page 17:",
"text": "Eine Paketbombe, die Anfang vergangener Woche im Kanzleramt eintraf, war von eher geringer Sprengkraft.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_english_offsets": [
[
25,
31
]
],
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
89,
93
]
],
"english": "Consumers in Germany are rather reluctant to consume fish in the face of high prices.",
"ref": "2012 June 18, Die Welt, archived from the original on 2013-04-12, page 10:",
"text": "Die Verbraucher in Deutschland halten sich beim Konsum von Fisch angesichts hoher Preise eher zurück.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"rather",
"fairly, relatively, somewhat; expresses a weakened degree"
],
"id": "en-eher-de-adv-iNOD6OTP",
"links": [
[
"rather",
"rather"
],
[
"fairly",
"fairly"
],
[
"relatively",
"relatively"
],
[
"somewhat",
"somewhat"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "relativ"
},
{
"word": "einigermaßen"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"bold_english_offsets": [
[
25,
31
]
],
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
32,
36
]
],
"english": "If I have to choose, I’d rather go to the cinema.",
"text": "Wenn ich wählen muss, würde ich eher ins Kino gehen.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"bold_english_offsets": [
[
4,
10
]
],
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
0,
4
]
],
"english": "I'd sooner marry an ape than you!",
"text": "Eher will ich einen Affen heiraten als dich!",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"rather",
"sooner, more readily, preferably; expresses a preference"
],
"id": "en-eher-de-adv-KIE7yrHB",
"links": [
[
"rather",
"rather"
],
[
"sooner",
"sooner"
],
[
"readily",
"readily"
],
[
"preferably",
"preferably"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "lieber"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"bold_english_offsets": [
[
34,
40
]
],
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
44,
48
]
],
"english": "This wine doesn’t seem to be dry, rather medium dry.",
"text": "Der Wein scheint mir nicht trocken zu sein, eher halbtrocken.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"bold_english_offsets": [
[
47,
56
]
],
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
45,
49
]
],
"english": "This performance isn’t theatre. Monkey theatre more like! [i.e. a farce, charade]",
"text": "Diese Aufführung ist doch kein Theater mehr, eher Affentheater!",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"rather",
"more precisely speaking, in fact, more like; used to replace a word or phrase with another"
],
"id": "en-eher-de-adv-4DKJ0-D7",
"links": [
[
"rather",
"rather"
],
[
"precise",
"precise"
],
[
"in fact",
"in fact"
],
[
"more like",
"more like"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "vielmehr"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈeːər/"
},
{
"ipa": "[ˈʔeː.ɐ]"
},
{
"audio": "De-eher.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/54/De-eher.ogg/De-eher.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/De-eher.ogg"
}
],
"word": "eher"
}
{
"categories": [
"German adverbs",
"German entries with incorrect language header",
"German lemmas",
"German terms derived from Middle High German",
"German terms derived from Old High German",
"German terms derived from Proto-Germanic",
"German terms inherited from Middle High German",
"German terms inherited from Old High German",
"German terms inherited from Proto-Germanic",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries"
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "de",
"2": "gmh",
"3": "ērer"
},
"expansion": "Middle High German ērer",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "de",
"2": "goh",
"3": "ēriro"
},
"expansion": "Old High German ēriro",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "de",
"2": "gem-pro",
"3": "*airizô"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Germanic *airizô",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "nl",
"2": "eerder"
},
"expansion": "Dutch eerder",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "gmh",
"2": "ēr"
},
"expansion": "Middle High German ēr",
"name": "m+"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "goh",
"2": "ēr"
},
"expansion": "Old High German ēr",
"name": "m+"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "gem-pro",
"2": "*airiz"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Germanic *airiz",
"name": "m+"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "nl",
"2": "eer"
},
"expansion": "Dutch eer",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ere"
},
"expansion": "English ere",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "got",
"2": "𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌹𐍃"
},
"expansion": "Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌹𐍃 (airis)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "goh",
"2": "-"
},
"expansion": "Old High German",
"name": "m+"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Chiefly from haplology of Middle High German ērer, from Old High German ēriro, from Proto-Germanic *airizô. Compare Dutch eerder.\nLikely conflated with Middle High German ēr, a rarer byform of ē (whence modern eh, ehe), from Old High German ēr, from Proto-Germanic *airiz, adverbial form of the above. Cognate with Dutch eer, English ere, Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌹𐍃 (airis). The final /r/ was regularly lost in Late Old High German (cf. da, hie, wo), but survived regionally (chiefly in Central German).",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "de",
"2": "adverb",
"3": "",
"4": "",
"5": "",
"6": "am {{{2}}}",
"head": "",
"sort": ""
},
"expansion": "eher",
"name": "head"
},
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "eher",
"name": "de-adv"
}
],
"lang": "German",
"lang_code": "de",
"pos": "adv",
"related": [
{
"word": "ehe"
},
{
"word": "eh"
},
{
"word": "erste"
},
{
"word": "ziemlich"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"German comparative adjectives",
"German terms with usage examples"
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_english_offsets": [
[
34,
41
]
],
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
39,
43
]
],
"english": "I'm sorry, but I couldn’t make it earlier.",
"text": "Es tut mir leid, aber ich konnte nicht eher kommen.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"form_of": [
{
"extra": "earlier, sooner",
"word": "bald"
}
],
"glosses": [
"comparative degree of bald: earlier, sooner"
],
"links": [
[
"bald",
"bald#German"
],
[
"earlier",
"earlier"
],
[
"sooner",
"sooner"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "früher"
}
],
"tags": [
"comparative",
"form-of"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"German terms with quotations",
"German terms with usage examples"
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_english_offsets": [
[
9,
15
]
],
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
11,
15
]
],
"english": "It seems fairly unlikely that she will ever go abroad.",
"text": "Es scheint eher unwahrscheinlich, dass sie je ins Ausland geht.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"bold_english_offsets": [
[
86,
96
]
],
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
77,
81
]
],
"english": "A parcel bomb, which arrived in the Chancellery at the beginning of last week, was of relatively small explosive force.",
"ref": "2010, Der Spiegel, number 45/2010, page 17:",
"text": "Eine Paketbombe, die Anfang vergangener Woche im Kanzleramt eintraf, war von eher geringer Sprengkraft.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"bold_english_offsets": [
[
25,
31
]
],
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
89,
93
]
],
"english": "Consumers in Germany are rather reluctant to consume fish in the face of high prices.",
"ref": "2012 June 18, Die Welt, archived from the original on 2013-04-12, page 10:",
"text": "Die Verbraucher in Deutschland halten sich beim Konsum von Fisch angesichts hoher Preise eher zurück.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"rather",
"fairly, relatively, somewhat; expresses a weakened degree"
],
"links": [
[
"rather",
"rather"
],
[
"fairly",
"fairly"
],
[
"relatively",
"relatively"
],
[
"somewhat",
"somewhat"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "relativ"
},
{
"word": "einigermaßen"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [
"German terms with usage examples"
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_english_offsets": [
[
25,
31
]
],
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
32,
36
]
],
"english": "If I have to choose, I’d rather go to the cinema.",
"text": "Wenn ich wählen muss, würde ich eher ins Kino gehen.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"bold_english_offsets": [
[
4,
10
]
],
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
0,
4
]
],
"english": "I'd sooner marry an ape than you!",
"text": "Eher will ich einen Affen heiraten als dich!",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"rather",
"sooner, more readily, preferably; expresses a preference"
],
"links": [
[
"rather",
"rather"
],
[
"sooner",
"sooner"
],
[
"readily",
"readily"
],
[
"preferably",
"preferably"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "lieber"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [
"German terms with usage examples"
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_english_offsets": [
[
34,
40
]
],
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
44,
48
]
],
"english": "This wine doesn’t seem to be dry, rather medium dry.",
"text": "Der Wein scheint mir nicht trocken zu sein, eher halbtrocken.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"bold_english_offsets": [
[
47,
56
]
],
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
45,
49
]
],
"english": "This performance isn’t theatre. Monkey theatre more like! [i.e. a farce, charade]",
"text": "Diese Aufführung ist doch kein Theater mehr, eher Affentheater!",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"rather",
"more precisely speaking, in fact, more like; used to replace a word or phrase with another"
],
"links": [
[
"rather",
"rather"
],
[
"precise",
"precise"
],
[
"in fact",
"in fact"
],
[
"more like",
"more like"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "vielmehr"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈeːər/"
},
{
"ipa": "[ˈʔeː.ɐ]"
},
{
"audio": "De-eher.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/54/De-eher.ogg/De-eher.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/De-eher.ogg"
}
],
"word": "eher"
}
Download raw JSONL data for eher meaning in German (6.0kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable German dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-06-07 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-06-01 using wiktextract (92124b4 and f1c2b61). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.