Late - or earlier (5)
I believe the answer is:
prior
I believe this clue is a double definition.
'late' is the first definition.
(thesaurus)
'earlier' is the second definition.
('prior' can be a synonym of 'earlier')
'or' is the link.
(Other definitions for prior that I've seen before include "Clergyman - earlier" , "Pre-existing; head friar" , "Erstwhile" , "More important" , "Head of a religious order" .)