first water

See synonyms for first water on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. (formerly) the highest degree of fineness in a diamond or other precious stone.: Compare water (def. 12).

  2. the finest quality; highest rank.

Origin of first water

1
First recorded in 1745–55

Words Nearby first water

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use first water in a sentence

  • She was got up expensive, all real lace and first-water sparks, and just as handsome as a towel rack.

    Shorty McCabe | Sewell Ford
  • Yet they were constantly after him, for they knew they were likely to get a first-water gem.

  • An expert would have known immediately that it was a first-water product of an expert gunsmith.

British Dictionary definitions for first water

first water

noun
  1. the finest quality of diamond or other precious stone

  2. the highest grade or best quality

  1. the most extreme kind: a fool of the first water

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012