at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time; "early morning"; "an early warning"; "early diagnosis"; "an early death"; "took early retirement"; "an early spring"; "early varieties of peas and tomatoes mature before most standard varieties"
being or occurring at an early stage of development; "in an early stage"; "early forms of life"; "early man"; "an early computer"
of an early stage in the development of a language or literature; "the Early Hebrew alphabetical script is that used mainly from the 11th to the 6th centuries B.C."; "Early Modern English is represented in documents printed from 1476 to 1700"
very young; "at an early age"
expected in the near future; "look for an early end to the negotiations"
before the usual time or the time expected; "she graduated early"; "the house was completed ahead of time"
introduced from another region and persisting without cultivation
brought about or set up or accepted; especially long established; "the established social order"; "distrust the constituted authority"; "a team established as a member of a major league"; "enjoyed his prestige as an established writer"; "an established precedent"; "the established Church"
shown to be valid beyond a reasonable doubt; "the established facts in the case"
securely established; "an established reputation"; "holds a firm position as the country's leading poet"
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
the ability to hear; the auditory faculty; "his hearing was impaired"
a session (of a committee or grand jury) in which witnesses are called and testimony is taken; "the investigative committee will hold hearings in Chicago"
an opportunity to state your case and be heard; "they condemned him without a hearing"; "he saw that he had lost his audience"
cause or enable to pass through; "The canal will transit hundreds of ships every day"
revolve (the telescope of a surveying transit) about its horizontal transverse axis in order to reverse its direction
pass across (a sign or house of the zodiac) or pass across (the disk of a celestial body or the meridian of a place); "The comet will transit on September 11"
make a passage or journey from one place to another; "The tourists moved through the town and bought up all the souvenirs;" "Some travelers pass through the desert"
the remission by the pope of the temporal punishment in purgatory that is still due for sins even after absolution; "in the Middle Ages the unrestricted sale of indulgences by pardoners became a widespread abuse"
the act of indulging or gratifying a desire
a disposition to yield to the wishes of someone; "too much indulgence spoils a child"
an inability to resist the gratification of whims and desires