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first

  [furst]
Use first in a Sentence
–adjective
1. being before all others with respect to time, order, rank, importance, etc., used as the ordinal number of one: the first edition; the first vice president.
2. Music. highest or chief among several voices or instruments of the same class: first alto; first horn.
3. Automotive. low (def. 31).
4. (often initial capital letter) being a member of the household or an intimate acquaintance of the president of the U.S. or of the governor of a state: the First Lady; Checkers, the first dog.
–adverb
5. before all others or anything else in time, order, rank, etc.
6. before some other thing, event, etc.: If you're going, phone first.
7. for the first time: She first visited Atlanta in 1980.
8. in preference to something else; rather; sooner: I'd die first.
9. in the first place; firstly.
–noun
10. the person or thing that is first in time, order, rank, etc.
11. the beginning.
12. the first part; first member of a series.
13. Music.
a. the voice or instrument that takes the highest or chief part in its class, esp. in an orchestra or chorus.
b. a leader of a part or group of performers.
14. Automotive. low gear; first gear: She shifted into first and drove off.
15. the winning position or rank in a race or other competition.
16. Baseball. first base.
17. Usually, firsts. Commerce.
a. a product or goods of the first or highest quality.
b. goods produced according to specifications, without visible flaws. Compare second 1 (def. 23), third (def. 12).
18. British University.
a. first-class honors. Compare class (def. 18).
b. a person who has won such honors.
—Idioms
19. first and last, everything considered; above all else; altogether: First and last, it is important to know oneself.
20. first off, Informal. at the outset; immediately: He wanted to know first off why he hadn't been notified.
21. first thing, before anything else; at once; promptly: I'll call you first thing when I arrive.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME; OE fyr(e)st (see fore 1 , -est ); c. G Fürst prince

Related forms:
firstness, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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first   (fûrst)   
n.  
  1. The ordinal number matching the number one in a series.
  2. The one coming, occurring, or ranking before or above all others.
  3. The beginning; the outset: from the first; at first.
  4. Music The voice or instrument highest in pitch or carrying the principal part.
  5. The transmission gear or corresponding gear ratio used to produce the range of lowest drive speeds in a motor vehicle.
  6. The winning position in a contest: finished the season in first.
  7. Baseball
    1. First base.
    2. A first baseman.
adj.  
  1. Corresponding in order to the number one.
  2. Coming before all others in order or location: the first house on your left.
  3. Occurring or acting before all others in time; earliest: the first day of spring.
  4. Ranking above all others, as in importance or quality; foremost: was first in the class.
  5. Music Being highest in pitch or carrying the principal part: first trumpet.
  6. Of, relating to, or being the transmission gear or corresponding gear ratio used to produce the range of lowest drive speeds in a motor vehicle.
  7. Of, related to, or being a member of the U.S. president's household: first daughter Amy Carter.
adv.  
  1. Before or above all others in time, order, rank, or importance: arrived first; forgot to light the oven first.
  2. For the first time.
  3. Rather; preferably: would die first.
  4. In the first place; to begin with. See Usage Note at firstly.

[Middle English, from Old English fyrst; see per1 in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

First

First\, a. [OE. first, furst, AS. fyrst; akin to Icel. fyrstr, Sw. & Dan. f["o]rste, OHG. furist, G. f["u]rst prince; a superlatiye form of E. for, fore. See For, Fore, and cf. Formeer, Foremost.]

1. Preceding all others of a series or kind; the ordinal of one; earliest; as, the first day of a month; the first year of a reign.

2. Foremost; in front of, or in advance of, all others.

3. Most eminent or exalted; most excellent; chief; highest; as, Demosthenes was the first orator of Greece.

At first blush. See under Blush.

At first hand, from the first or original source; without the intervention of any agent.

It is the intention of the person to reveal it at first hand, by way of mouth, to yourself. --Dickens.

First coat (Plastering), the solid foundation of coarse stuff, on which the rest is placed; it is thick, and crossed with lines, so as to give a bond for the next coat.

First day, Sunday; -- so called by the Friends.

First floor. (a) The ground floor. [U.S.] (b) The floor next above the ground floor. [Eng.]

First fruit or fruits. (a) The fruits of the season earliest gathered. (b) (Feudal Law) One year's profits of lands belonging to the king on the death of a tenant who held directly from him. (c) (Eng. Eccl. Law) The first year's whole profits of a benefice or spiritual living. (d) The earliest effects or results.

See, Father, what first fruits on earth are sprung From thy implanted grace in man! --Milton.

First mate, an officer in a merchant vessel next in rank to the captain.

First name, same as Christian name. See under Name, n.

First officer (Naut.), in the merchant service, same as First mate (above).

First sergeant (Mil.), the ranking non-commissioned officer in a company; the orderly sergeant. --Farrow.

First watch (Naut.), the watch from eight to twelve at midnight; also, the men on duty during that time.

First water, the highest quality or purest luster; -- said of gems, especially of diamond and pearls.

Syn: Primary; primordial; primitive; primeval; pristine; highest; chief; principal; foremost.

First

First\, adv. Before any other person or thing in time, space, rank, etc.; -- much used in composition with adjectives and participles.

Adam was first formed, then Eve. --1 Tim. ii. 13.

At first, At the first, at the beginning or origin.

First or last, at one time or another; at the beginning or end.

And all are fools and lovers first or last. --Dryden.

First

First\, n. (Mus.) The upper part of a duet, trio, etc., either vocal or instrumental; -- so called because it generally expresses the air, and has a pre["e]minence in the combined effect.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : first
Spanish: primero,
German: erst, zuerst,
Japanese: 最初の
More Translations »

first 
O.E. fyrst "foremost," superl. of fore, from P.Gmc. *furisto (cf. O.H.G. furist, O.N. fyrstr, Dan. første, O.Fris. fersta, M.Du. vorste "first," Ger. Fürst "prince"), superl. of *fur-/*for-, from PIE *pro- (cf. Skt. pura "before, formerly," Eng. fore). First-class (1858) "is from the universities via the railways" [Weekley]; first-rate (1666) is from classes of warships in the British navy. First aid is that given at the scene, pending the arrival of a doctor; firsthand is attested from 1732. First lady "wife of a U.S. president" seems to have been first used in 1948.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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first (fûrst)
adj.

  1. Coming before all others in order or location.
  2. Occurring or acting before all others in time; earliest.
  3. Being the innermost digit, especially on a foot.
first n.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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first

In addition to the idioms beginning with first, also see at first; at first blush; at first hand; cast the first stone; get to first base; if at first you don't succeed; in the first place; in the (first) flush of; love at first sight; not know beans (the first thing); of the first water; on a first-name basis.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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FIRST
Foundation for Ichthyosis and Related Skin Types
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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