In good time; early; before the expected moment; seasonably or in a timely manner.
From Middle English 'bitimes,' combining 'be-' (by) with 'times' (time), literally meaning 'by times' or 'in good time.' Common in Early Modern English but now archaic.
Shakespeare loved 'betimes'—Hamlet says 'betimes the star has come'—and it carries this urgency that 'early' doesn't quite capture; it implies doing something at exactly the right moment, not just before something else happens.
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