already

Meanings

Adverb

prior to a specified or implied time
- "she has already graduated"

Adv

Prior to some specified time, either past, present, or future; by this time; previously.
So soon.
An intensifier used to emphasize impatience or express exasperation.
Indicates action completion (perfective aspect).
Marks a change in state (inchoative aspect).

Origin / Etymology

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 is analogous to Hokkien 了 (liáu), Teochew 了 (liao²) and Mandarin 了 (le). Compare Malay (su)dah and Cantonese 咗 (zo²), 喇 (laa³).

Synonyms

liao

Scrabble Score: 11

already is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
already is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
already is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 11

already is a valid Words With Friends word