\Be*fore"\, prep. [OE. beforen, biforen, before, AS.
beforan; pref. be- + foran, fore, before. See {Be-}, and
{Fore}.]
1. In front of; preceding in space; ahead of; as, to stand
   before the fire; before the house.
         His angel, who shall go Before them in a cloud and
         pillar of fire.                       --Milton.
2. Preceding in time; earlier than; previously to; anterior
   to the time when; -- sometimes with the additional idea of
   purpose; in order that.
         Before Abraham was, I am.             --John viii.
                                               58.
         Before this treatise can become of use, two points
         are necessary.                        --Swift.
Note: Formerly before, in this sense, was followed by that.
      ``Before that Philip called thee . . . I saw thee.''
      --John i. 48.
3. An advance of; farther onward, in place or time.
         The golden age . . . is before us.    --Carlyle.
4. Prior or preceding in dignity, order, rank, right, or
   worth; rather than.
         He that cometh after me is preferred before me.
                                               --John i. 15.
         The eldest son is before the younger in succession.
                                               --Johnson.
5. In presence or sight of; face to face with; facing.
         Abraham bowed down himself before the people. --Gen.
                                               xxiii. 12.
         Wherewith shall I come before the Lord? --Micah vi.
                                               6.
6. Under the cognizance or jurisdiction of.
         If a suit be begun before an archdeacon. --Ayliffe.
7. Open for; free of access to; in the power of.
         The world was all before them where to choose.
                                               --Milton.
{Before the mast} (Naut.), as a common sailor, -- because the
   sailors live in the forecastle, forward of the foremast.
{Before the wind} (Naut.), in the direction of the wind and
   by its impulse; having the wind aft.

\Be*fore"\, adv.
1. On the fore part; in front, or in the direction of the
   front; -- opposed to {in the rear}.
         The battle was before and behind.     --2 Chron.
                                               xiii. 14.
2. In advance. ``I come before to tell you.'' --Shak.
3. In time past; previously; already.
         You tell me, mother, what I knew before. --Dryden.
4. Earlier; sooner than; until then.
         When the butt is out, we will drink water; not a
         drop before.                          --Shak.
Note: Before is often used in self-explaining compounds; as,
      before-cited, before-mentioned; beforesaid.