Wurdahuzdą: Proto-Germanic dictionary

adj an/īn-stem earlier; preceding in time; former From the temporal adverb *airi + the comparative suffix *-izô. Unlike an ordinary adjectival comparative, *airizô was formed directly to an adverb and had no corresponding positive adjective; such independently formed comparatives are inherited relics of an older Indo-European system Ringe 2017: 317–18. The base *airi continues Proto-Indo-European *h₂éyeri, probably a temporal adverb formed from the locative of an old r/n-stem *h₂éy-r̥ ~ *h₂éy-en. Compare Ancient Greek ἦρι and Avestan 𐬀𐬌𐬌𐬀𐬭𐬆 Dunkel 2014: 258 Kroonen 2013: s.v. *airi-. The suffix reflects the zero grade *-is- of the Proto-Indo-European comparative or elative suffix *-yos- ~ *-is-, followed by Germanic weak n-stem inflection Meier-Brügger 2003: 220–21 Ringe 2017: 315–18. Usage Note

There is no existing positive degree for this word; instead, there are various adjectival formations used to express it. It has a weak declension only.