earnest
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
earnest1 /ˈəːnɪst/
▶adjective sincere and very serious.
– phrases
in earnest to a greater extent or more intensely than before.
in earnest to a greater extent or more intensely than before.
■ sincere and serious in intention.
– derivatives
earnestly adverb,
earnestness noun.
earnestly adverb,
earnestness noun.
– origin OE eornoste (adj.), eornost (n.), of Gmc origin.
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
earnest2 /ˈəːnɪst/
▶noun a sign or promise of what is to come.
– origin ME ernes, lit. ‘instalment paid to confirm a contract’, based on OFr. erres, from L. arra, shortened form of arrabo ‘a pledge’.
'earnest' also found in these Oxford entries:
