First Definition
- starting time
- kickoff
- commencement
- start
- outset
- offset
- showtime
- beginning
- get-go
- number one
- number 1
- first-class honours degree
- low
- low-gear
- first-gear
- From the start; immediately:
Why wasn't I told first off? When I get to work, I have to call my lawyer first thing.
- as the first thing; before anything else
- firstly; to begin with
Other Word Forms of First
Noun
Adjective
Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to First
Origin of First
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From Middle English first, furst, ferst, fyrst, from Old English fyrst, fyrest (“first, foremost, principal, chief, original”), from Proto-Germanic *furistaz (“foremost, first”), superlative of Proto-Germanic *fur, *fura, *furi (“before”), from Proto-Indo-European *per-, *pero- (“forward, beyond, around”), equivalent to fore + -est. Cognate with North Frisian foarste (“first”), Dutch voorste (“foremost, first”), German Fürst (“chief, prince”, literally “first (born)”), Swedish första (“first”), Icelandic fyrstur (“first”).
From Wiktionary
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From Middle English first, furst, fyrst, from Old English fyrst, fierst, first (“period, space of time, time, respite, truce”), from Proto-Germanic *fristaz, *fristą (“date, appointed time”), from Proto-Indo-European *pres-, *per- (“forward, forth, over, beyond”). Cognate with North Frisian ferst, frest (“period, time”), German Frist (“period, deadline, term”), Swedish frist (“deadline, respite, reprieve, time-limit”), Icelandic frestur (“period”). See also frist.
From Wiktionary
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Middle English from Old English fyrst per1 in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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