early warning system
7
4.1
- noun
- /ˈɜrli ˈwɔrnɪŋ ˈsɪstəm/
- Specialized
:
sistema de alerta temprana
- The military installed an early warning system to monitor incoming missile threats.
And so as the clock is ticking, Russian early warning systems now move into place.
- And so as the clock is ticking, Russian early warning systems now move into place.
- So the way it starts is in space, meaning the US Defense Department has a early warning system.
Examples
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It's an early warning system to pick up the sound of enemy aircraft.
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First, we need an early warning system against those who seek to cripple Internet freedoms.
Blog text (19) -
And so as the clock is ticking, Russian early warning systems now move into place.
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How many lives would be spared with the creation of an early warning system?
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Our early-warning system will rule out the bomb having come from Russia or anywhere else.
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Work on resilience also enabled the development of early warning systems in Nepal during the 2010 floods.
Blog text (21) -
Vector-based surveillance can provide an early warning system for the emergence of human babesiosis.
Academic text (2014) -
And without sophisticated early warning systems, a nuclear attack might be unattributable or attributed incorrectly.
Academic text (2011) -
In this case, the water company determined that better early warning systems were needed, and more thorough procedures were required during off-duty hours (6).
Academic text (1995) -
An effective early-warning system to alert the world, and especially the U.N. Security Council, to potential ethnic cleansing is desperately needed.
Academic text (2000)
Synonyms
1
4.3
A radar that detects distant threats to give time to act
How Early
- Specialized
1
4.3
- Specialized
7
4.1
297
2.8
- Specialized
1
7.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a system that gives warnings early' is directly and transparently built from 'early' (before the usual time) + 'warning' (alert to danger) + 'system' (a set of components). This straightforward compositional noun-compound pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows normal English semantics, so a B1 learner who knows the parts will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Early warning system may come from old lookouts who watched the sky or sea and used bells or horns to give a warning while there was still early time to act. That's why today it means a group of tools and people that 'detect' danger and 'warn' others so they have time to respond.