early vs stopgap

early

noun
  • A shift (scheduled work period) that takes place early in the day. 

adj
  • Near the start or beginning. 

  • Near the start of the day. 

  • Having begun to occur; in its early stages. 

  • At a time in advance of the usual or expected event. 

  • Arriving a time before expected; sooner than on time. 

  • Of a star or class of stars, hotter than the sun. 

adv
  • At a time before expected; sooner than usual. 

  • Soon; in good time; seasonably. 

stopgap

noun
  • A person appointed or hired to fill a position temporarily until a permanent appointment or hire can be made; a temp. 

  • That which stops up or fills a gap or hole. 

  • Something spoken to fill up an uncomfortable pause in speech; a filled pause or filler. 

  • A short-term fix or temporary measure used until something better can be obtained; that which serves as an expedient in an emergency; a band-aid solution. 

verb
  • To stop up or fill (a physical gap or hole, or a hiatus). 

  • To use something as a short-term fix or temporary measure until a better alternative can be obtained. 

  • To work at a position temporarily until a permanent appointment or hire is made. 

adj
  • Short-term; temporary. 

  • Filling a gap or pause. 

How often have the words early and stopgap occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )