first

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Coming before all others in time, order, or position.

   The first house on the right is ours.

2. 2
   adv

   Before anything or anyone else.

   First, we need to wash our hands.

3. 3
   adv

   For the first time.

   I first met her when we were children.

4. 4
   noun

   The person or thing that comes before all others.

   The dog was the first to be adopted.

Common collocations

• first kiss Adjective + noun
• first name Adjective + noun
• first step Adjective + noun
• first cousin Adjective + noun
• first date Adjective + noun
• have first pick Verb + noun

From Middle English first, furst, ferst, fyrst, from Old English fyrest, from Proto-West Germanic *furist, from Proto-Germanic *furistaz (“first, foremost”), superlative of Proto-Germanic *furai, *furi (“before”), from Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- (“before”), from *per- (“before; first”), equivalent to fore + -est. Cognates Cognate with Scots first (“first”), Dutch voorste (“foremost, first”), vorst (“prince”), German Fürst (“chief, prince”, literally “first (born)”), Limburgish Vürsch (“prince”), Luxembourgish viischt (“anterior; forward”), Vilamovian fiyśt, fjəšt, fjyśt, fjyšt (“prince”), Dan…

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